Phillip Forman (November 30, 1895 – August 17, 1978) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Phillip Forman
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office
March 31, 1961 – August 17, 1978
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office
September 10, 1959 – March 31, 1961
Appointed byDwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded byAlbert Branson Maris
Succeeded byWilliam Francis Smith
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office
1951–1959
Preceded byGuy Leverne Fake
Succeeded byWilliam Francis Smith
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office
June 25, 1932 – September 20, 1959
Appointed byHerbert Hoover
Preceded byWilliam Nelson Runyon
Succeeded byArthur Stephen Lane
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
In office
1928–1932
Appointed byCalvin Coolidge
Preceded byWalter G. Winne
Succeeded byHarlan Besson
Personal details
Born
Phillip Forman

(1895-11-30)November 30, 1895
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 17, 1978(1978-08-17) (aged 82)
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
SpousePearl Karlberg

Education and career

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Born in New York City on November 30, 1895, Forman grew up in Trenton, New Jersey.[1] He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1919 from the Temple University Beasley School of Law. He served in the United States Navy from 1917 to 1919 during World War I era. He entered private practice in Trenton, New Jersey from 1919 to 1932. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1923 to 1928 and was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1928 to 1932.[2]

Federal judicial service

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Forman was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on June 11, 1932, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey vacated by Judge William Nelson Runyon. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 23, 1932, and received his commission on June 25, 1932. He served as Chief Judge from 1951 to 1959 and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1957 to 1959. His service terminated on September 20, 1959, due to his elevation to the Third Circuit.[2]

Forman was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 9, 1959, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Albert Branson Maris. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 9, 1959, and received his commission the next day. He assumed senior status on March 31, 1961.[2]

Notable grants of citizenship

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Judge Forman (r) awards Albert Einstein his certificate of the American citizenship on October 1, 1940.

In 1940, Forman gave the German physicist Albert Einstein his United States Citizenship.[3] He served the same role for the mathematician Kurt Gödel.[4]

Personal life and death

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Forman was married to the former Pearl Karlberg. He died at a hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, on August 17, 1978, at the age of 82.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Philip [sic] Forman, 82; senior judge on 3d court of appeals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press. August 20, 1978. p. 14E. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Phillip Forman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ "America gains a famous citizen". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Stephen Budansky (2021). Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel. National Geographic Books. p. 319ff. ISBN 978-0-393-35820-9.

Sources

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Legal offices
Preceded by United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
1928–1932
Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
1932–1959
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
1951–1959
Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
1959–1961