About the Institute of Judicial Administration

Founded in 1952, the Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law (IJA) is dedicated to the education of the judiciary and continues today as a leader in judicial education and a forum for non-partisan thinking and discussion about the administration of justice. More than one-third of all currently sitting state and federal appellate judges and one-half of state chief justices are alumni of IJA judicial training programs. 

IJA’s mission is:

• to offer high-quality continuing education programs for state and federal judges;

• to engage in sustained dialogue among the various sectors of the judiciary, the legal profession and academia; and

• to foster discussion on public policy issues affecting the justice system.

The work of the Institute has become ever more critical with the increasing workload of the courts, the proliferation of federal and state laws, and the growth in the number of lawyers, courts, and adjudicative tribunals.

The Institute is led by Faculty Directors Professors Samuel Estreicher and Troy McKenzie, Professor Emeritus Oscar G. Chase, and a Board of Advisors chaired by Evan R. Chesler, Esq. and consisting of other distinguished practitioners as well as state and federal judges and scholars.  

IJA Unveils Oral History of Distinguished American Judges

The Institute of Judicial Administration's Oral History of Distinguished American Judges memorializes the contribution of the men and women who make the US judiciary a bulwark of freedom. This project goes beyond their written opinions to focus on education, careers, influences, and views of the judicial role. Each video interview has an accompanying annotated transcript. Together, these interviews form a definitive resource on the American judiciary, not just for legal scholars, but for all those interested in our system.

The project features a range of federal and state judges as well as US Supreme Court justices that include Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, and John Paul Stevens. Read more about the project.

Institute News

In Memoriam: Jack B. Weinstein

The legendary long-serving federal judge, Jack B. Weinstein, was appointed United States District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, where he served as chief judge from 1980 to 1988. Judge Weinstein assumed senior status on March 1, 1993, retired on February 10, 2020, and passed away on June 15, 2021. Watch the Oral History of Judge Jack B. Weinstein here.

Professor Emeritus Oscar Chase's New Book

The seventh edition of Oscar Chase's Civil Litigation in New York has been released. This widely used course book introduces law students to the intricacies of civil litigation in New York and presents issues in the order in which they arise in a judicial action. The seventh edition includes the most recent legislative changes and litigation problems that reflect new developments.

Recent Articles by Samuel Estreicher

• Tenth Circuit Holds That Contract Formation Issues Are for the Court, Not the Arbitrator, Notwithstanding an Express Delegation Clause (2021) (New York Law Journal)

• Seventh Circuit Rejects Court-Based Discovery in Aid of International Arbitration (2020) (Verdict, Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia)

• Taking Treaty-Implementing Statutes Seriously, in The Restatement and Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States ch.3 (P. Stephan & Sarah H. Cleveland eds., Oxford University Press, forthcoming)

• In Defense of International Comity, 93 Southern Calif. L. Rev. 169 (2020) (with Thomas H, Lee) (lead article)

Recent Amici Curiae Briefs by IJA Faculty Directors

• Republic of Hungary Magyar and Allamvesutak Zrt. v. Simon; Federal Republic of Germany v. Phiilip, Nos. 18-447, 19-351 – Br. of Professors Samuel Estreicher and Thomas J. Lee as Amici Curiae in Support of Neither Party
• Nestle USA, Inc. v. John Doe I, et al. & Cargill, Inc. v. John Doe I, et al., Nos. 19-416, 19-453 – Br. of Professors of International Law, Foreign Relations Law, and Federal Jurisdiction as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioners  (counsel of record)
• Kisor v. Wilkie, No. 18-15 – Br. of Professors of Administrative Law and Federal Regulation as Amici Curiae in Support of Neither Party
• Animal Science Products, Inc. v. Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., No. 16-1220 – Br. Amici Curiae of Professors Samuel Estreicher and Thomas  H. Lee in Support of Neither Party (counsel of record)

• Ford Motor Company, Petitioner v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, et al., No. 19-368 and 19-369- Br. Amici Curiae of NYU Law Professors Samuel Estreicher, Troy McKenzie, and Linda Silberman, along with Professors Edward Hartnett (Seton Hall School of Law) and David Noll (Rutgers Law School), in support of Respondent.