Abraham Lincoln Freedman
Judge Freedman no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Freedman decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Requires an applicant for citizenship to establish every element of eligibility because naturalization is not lightly undone.
“Because that status, once granted, cannot lightly be taken away, the Government has a strong and legitimate interest in ensuring that only qualified persons are granted citizenship.”
Finds unlawful motive persuasive when hostility toward protected union activity was openly tied to a threatened discharge.
“The animus against Anderson because of his union activity was openly expressed as an intention to dismiss him if he persisted in what was protected activity.”
Procedural preferences
Limits preliminary appellate review to abuse of discretion and requires an imminent, irreparable injury before disturbing denial of interim relief.
“We hold merely that there has not been shown such imminent danger of irreparable harm that the court below committed an abuse of discretion in refusing to award a preliminary injunction pending final hearing.”
Remands for a focused new hearing when the record is too incomplete to determine damages reliably.
“we believe the interests of justice will best be served by sustaining the plaintiff’s appeal and remitting the record to the court below for a fresh hearing limited to damages.”
Cautions
Protects the integrity of a written criminal judgment against later alteration through testimony about an unrecorded intent.
“to seek to maintain the integrity of a recorded judgment of sentence and keep it free from alteration or impeachment by subsequent oral testimony as to the meaning intended by the scrivener.”
Treats a direct testimonial claim of financial need as opening the door to otherwise excluded collateral-benefit evidence.
“The boundary of silence was crossed when plaintiff affirmatively presented on direct examination the reason why he had returned to work after seven weeks and had not again visited his physician.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Accordingly, the judgment of the District Court will be affirmed as to liability and vacated as to damages and the cause will be remanded with directions to grant a new trial restricted to the issue of damages, in accordance with this opinion.”
“The judgment of the District Court therefore will be reversed to the extent that it dismissed the complaint and the District Court will be directed to remand the record to the Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor so that the Deputy Commissioner for Labor who heard the evidence may make explicit findings of fact and appropriate conclusions of law on the record before him.”
“The judgment will be vacated and the case remanded to the court below for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.”
“The order of the Board will be enforced.”
“The judgment will therefore be affirmed.”
“Accordingly that part of the judgment of the court below which was in favor of the defendant on the plaintiff’s claim will be vacated with direction to determine the date of payment for the July shipments and if that date should be September 5, 1961, to determine whether the check was tendered in compromise of a then existing dispute;”
“The judgment of the court below therefore will be reversed with direction to award a new trial.”
“The judgment of the court below will be reversed.”
“We shall therefore direct that the order granting the defendant's motions for summary judgment and for dismissal of the complaint be vacated and that action upon the complaint be stayed pending arbitration.”
“We hold merely that there has not been shown such imminent danger of irreparable harm that the court below committed an abuse of discretion in refusing to award a preliminary injunction pending final hearing.”
A historical record
Judge Freedman no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.