Leo Frederick Rayfiel
Appointed by President Harry S Truman in 1947 and confirmed by voice vote, Leo Frederick Rayfiel was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He earned a law degree from New York University School of Law in 1908. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1888–1978
- Appointed by
- Harry S Truman, 1947
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- New York Law 1908
- Succeeded
- Grover M. Moscowitz
- Succeeded by
- Jack Bertrand Weinstein
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Eastern District of New York succeeded Grover M. Moscowitz | Truman (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| New York University School of Law | LL.B. | 1908 |
| Read law | 1918 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Rayfiel authored 37 published opinions for the court (1948–1966). Most cited: Rao v. Port of New York Authority (28 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Rao v. Port of New York Authority | 122 F. Supp. 595 | 28 |
| 1955 | United States v. Lipshitz | 132 F. Supp. 519 | 27 |
| 1965 | In Re Overseas National Airways, Inc. | 238 F. Supp. 359 | 25 |
| 1961 | O'NEILL v. United States | 198 F. Supp. 367 | 21 |
| 1958 | In Matter of Simon | 167 F. Supp. 214 | 20 |
| 1960 | Polaroid Corporation v. Polarad Electronics Corp. | 182 F. Supp. 350 | 17 |
| 1966 | United States v. Greene Electrical Service of Long Island, Inc. | 252 F. Supp. 324 | 12 |
| 1959 | Breslerman v. American Liberty Insurance Company | 169 F. Supp. 531 | 9 |
| 1958 | Application of Bodkin | 165 F. Supp. 25 | 9 |
| 1957 | In Re Verlin | 148 F. Supp. 660 | 9 |
| 1954 | Cantwell v. Meade | 120 F. Supp. 406 | 9 |
| 1953 | United States v. Quinn | 111 F. Supp. 870 | 9 |
| 1958 | Burack v. STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY OF STATE OF NEW YORK | 160 F. Supp. 161 | 8 |
| 1949 | Faleni v. United States | 125 F. Supp. 630 | 8 |
| 1948 | Pascarella v. New York Cent. R. Co. | 81 F. Supp. 95 | 8 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 37 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Leo Frederick Rayfiel?
- President Harry S Truman appointed Leo Frederick Rayfiel to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 1947.
- Was Leo Frederick Rayfiel appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Leo Frederick Rayfiel was appointed by President Harry S Truman, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Leo Frederick Rayfiel's confirmation vote?
- Leo Frederick Rayfiel was confirmed by voice vote on July 23, 1947. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Leo Frederick Rayfiel on?
- Leo Frederick Rayfiel was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Unknown photographer (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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31 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).