José A. Cabranes, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, Portrait Dedication [44:29-47:50]

party of the state of Connecticut against Tastion, Judge Cabránis held that the state's closed primary law, which prohibited a political party from allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in its primary elections, infringed the party members' first amendment right of association, that ruling was ultimately affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. In United States against Tornero, Judge Cabránis addressed several novel issues relating to the insanity defense, ultimately excluding evidence of the defendant's compulsive gambling, the Court of Appeals, affirmed. I should also mention the many complex cases arising out of the colonial realty fraud, a mass of punzy scheme whose principles sold real estate investment interests, limited partnership interest, the thousands of investors. Colonials collapsed, inflicted tremendous losses on the investors and scarred communities across this state. Hundreds of cases were filed, dozens of securities class actions, sprawling bankruptcy proceedings, and closely watched criminal cases. For years, Judge Cabránis ruled firmly and fairly in all of these matters, and his rulings were repeatedly affirmed on appeal. Judge Cabránis also excelled at the most difficult task that a district judge must face, sentencing, and he did this both before and after the introduction of what were then mandatory federal sentencing guidelines. In a scholarly book, which was co-authored with Professor Kate Stith Cabránis, as well as in speeches and articles, Judge Cabránis made a powerful case against the bureaucratic guidelines regime, but his actions as a sentencing judge spoke at least as forcefully as his words. Judge Cabránis is sentencing of defendants, even after the adoption of the guidelines and their dreaded grid, combined compassion and rigor, and reflected the judge's deep understanding of the purposes of sentencing, as well as the particular circumstances of the defendant and the interests of society and the victims in each individual case. Judge Cabránis was well known throughout this district for treating litigants and lawyers with great respect and patience, conducting his court with great decorum. He afforded litigants and lawyers an opportunity to make a record, as he would say, before rendering his decisions. And he was almost always ready, immediately, to rule on that record based on what had come out in front of the judge. The only exception of which I am aware involved a prospective juror in Hartford one day who came up to the sidebar to ask the judge out of the presence of the others or out of the hearing of the others to be excused from service on the jury. Because this prospective juror started his explanation too loudly, Judge Cabránis waived at him as a signal to keep his voice down so the others wouldn't hear. The prospective juror immediately dropped down to his knees, made the sign of the cross, and intoned, bless me, father, for I have sinned. All the judge could do was to declare a recess.