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Robert Alexander Inch

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Robert Alexander Inch
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
In office
January 6, 1958 – January 12, 1961
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
In office
1948–1958
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMortimer W. Byers
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
In office
April 28, 1923 – January 6, 1958
Appointed byWarren G. Harding (recess)
Calvin Coolidge (commission)
Preceded byThomas Chatfield
Succeeded byJohn R. Bartels
Personal details
Born
Robert Alexander Inch

(1873-04-03)April 3, 1873
Providence, Rhode Island
DiedJanuary 12, 1961(1961-01-12) (aged 87)
Queens, New York
EducationPrinceton University (A.B.)
New York Law School (LL.B.)

Robert Alexander Inch (April 3, 1873 – January 12, 1961) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, New York from 1923 to 1961 and its Chief Judge from 1948 to 1958.

Education and career

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Inch obtained an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Princeton University in 1895 and then graduated from New York Law School in 1897.[1] After graduation, Inch spent the next 27 years as a lawyer in private practice in New York City, New York.[2][3][4]

Federal judicial service

Inch received a recess appointment from President Warren G. Harding on April 28, 1923, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York vacated by Judge Thomas Chatfield. He was nominated to the same position by President Calvin Coolidge on December 15, 1923. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 8, 1924, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1948 to 1958. He assumed senior status on January 6, 1958.[4] His service terminated on January 12, 1961, due to his death in Queens, New York.[2][3][5]

Notable cases

As a federal district judge, Inch presided over a full array of civil and criminal matters, ranging from prosecutions under the Volstead Act during the Prohibition era to receivership cases during the Great Depression and conspiracy charges against alleged organized crime leaders during the 1950s. From 1948 to 1951, Inch presided over the government's case against Martin James Monti for assisting Germany during World War II, denying Monti's plea to withdraw his guilty plea to charges of treason that initially resulted in a 25-year prison sentence.[6]

Criticism

Although Inch was reportedly a dedicated and hardworking judge, his decisions were not universally respected. In particular, Judge Learned Hand of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which reviewed Inch's rulings when they were appealed, was consistently critical, frequently referring to Inch in internal court memoranda by derisive names such as "the Inchworm" or "Judge Millimeter."[7]

Personal

Off the bench, Inch was known as a lover of golf, a sport he played avidly for more than 50 years.[2][3][8]

References

  1. ^ Articles published in the New York Times during Inch's lifetime report that he attended New York Law School. These include the contemporaneous report "New York Law School: It Held Its Annual Commencement Exercises in the Lenox Lyceum Last Night", New York Times, June 11, 1897, p. 3, listing Inch as one of that year's graduates. The Federal Judicial Directory previously reported on its web site that Inch attended the New York University School of Law, but this has been corrected.
  2. ^ a b c "Robert A. Inch, 87, Ex-U.S. Judge, Dies - Retired in 1958 as Chief of the Eastern District - Was Named to Bench in '24". New York Times. January 13, 1961. p. 29. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Judge Inch at 82 is Going Strong - Looks Forward to Building of New Courthouse for the Eastern District". New York Times. April 3, 1955. p. 55. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b Robert Alexander Inch at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  5. ^ "Inch to Give Up Chief Judgeship - But Jurist, 84, Notifies the President He Will Stay on U.S. Bench in Brooklyn". New York Times. October 26, 1957. p. 23. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Judge Finds Monti Was Not Coerced - Inch Denies an Application to Withdraw Plea of Guilty to Charge of Treason Investigation by Lawyers Radio Broadcasting". New York Times. August 2, 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  7. ^ Gerald Gunther, Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge (New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), pp. 302-03.
  8. ^ "Judge Inch at 80 Waits Party at 90 - Federal Court Jurist Confides He Still Plays Golf, but His Wife Can Beat Him". New York Times. April 3, 1953. p. 25. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
1923–1958 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Office established
 Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
1948–1958 		Succeeded by
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