Lawrence W. Pierce

Who is Lawrence W. Pierce?

Lawrence W. Pierce is an American lawyer who served for 24 years as a federal judge.

A native of Philadelphia, Pierce attended St. Joseph's University and Fordham Law School. As a lawyer, Pierce worked as a staff attorney with the civil branch of The Legal Aid Society in New York City and then for six years served as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn. From 1961 to 1963, he was a deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department. From 1963 to 1966, he was Director of the New York State Division for Youth, and from 1966 to 1970, he was Chairman of the New York State Narcotic Addiction Control Commission, which opened or funded 23 treatment centers.

In 1971, President Nixon appointed Pierce to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. After Pierce served as a district judge for ten years, in 1981, President Reagan appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Pierce became the third African-American to serve on the Second Circuit, following Thurgood Marshall and Amalya Kearse.

In 1978, Chief Justice Warren Burger appointed Pierce to serve on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. He also was the American Bar Association's Alternate Observer at the United Nations.