George B. Daniels facts for kids

George Benjamin Daniels, born in 1953, is an important judge in the United States. He works for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He is currently a senior judge, which means he can work a reduced schedule while still handling cases.

George Daniels: Early Life and Education

George Daniels was born in Allendale, South Carolina. He finished high school at Suffield Academy in 1971. After that, he earned a college degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from Yale University in 1975. He then went on to study law. He received his law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from the UC Berkeley School of Law in 1978.

A Career in Law and Justice

Daniels started his career helping people with legal problems. From 1978 to 1980, he was a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society in New York City. This group helps people who cannot afford a lawyer. He worked as a criminal defense attorney, representing people accused of crimes.

After that, he worked for a top judge. From 1980 to 1981, he was a law clerk for Chief Justice Rose Bird. She was the head judge of the Supreme Court of California. A law clerk helps a judge by doing legal research and writing.

From 1981 to 1983, he worked at a private law firm. This firm was called Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York City.

Serving the Public as a Lawyer and Judge

George Daniels then became an assistant United States attorney. This was for the Eastern District of New York from 1983 to 1989. In this job, he represented the U.S. government in legal cases. He also taught law as a part-time professor at Brooklyn Law School from 1988 to 1991.

In 1989, he was appointed a judge for the New York City Criminal Court. He left this job briefly in 1990. He worked as a legal advisor for Mayor David Dinkins. However, he was appointed as a Criminal Court Judge again in 1993. In 1995, he was elected a justice for the Supreme Court of the State of New York. He served there until he became a federal judge.

Becoming a Federal Judge

President Bill Clinton chose George Daniels to be a judge. He nominated him for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on August 5, 1999. The United States Senate approved his appointment. They voted 98–0 in his favor on February 24, 2000. He officially started his job as a federal judge on March 9, 2000. On May 1, 2021, Judge Daniels became a senior judge. This means he can work a reduced schedule while still handling cases.

Important Cases and Decisions

Judge Daniels has overseen many important cases. These cases happened during his time as a federal judge.

Understanding Legal Responsibility: The SEC v. Lee Case

In a 2010 case called SEC v. Lee, Judge Daniels helped explain a legal idea. This idea is called in pari delicto. It generally means that if two groups are equally at fault in a wrongdoing, neither can sue the other.

Judge Daniels explained when this rule applies. The person suing must have actively and willingly taken part in the wrongful act. Their fault must be at least as great as the other person's. He also noted some exceptions. For example, if someone acts only for their own benefit and harms their organization.

Decisions on Major Events: The September 11 Attacks

On March 9, 2016, Judge Daniels made an important ruling. It was about the September 11, 2001 attacks. He ordered Iran to pay $7.5 billion to the families of victims. He also ordered them to pay $3 billion to insurance companies. The lawsuit claimed that Iran had helped those involved in the attacks.

Earlier, in 2015, Judge Daniels had made another decision. He ruled that Saudi Arabia had sovereign immunity. This means a country cannot be sued in another country's courts without its permission. So, Saudi Arabia could not be sued in the same way for its alleged role in the attacks.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists