Martin Leach-Cross Feldman

The Honorable Martin L.C. Feldman
Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
Incumbent
Assumed office May 19, 2010
Appointed by	John Roberts
Preceded by	George P. Kazen
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office October 5, 1983
Appointed by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Jack Murphy Gordon
Personal details
Born	1934 St Louis, Missouri
Alma mater	Tulane University Tulane Law School

Martin Leach-Cross Feldman (born 1934) is a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on September 9, 1983, to a seat vacated by Jack M. Gordon. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4, 1983, and received his commission the following day.

Feldman was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a B.A. from Tulane University in 1955 and a J.D. from Tulane Law School in 1957. He was a United States Army JAG Corps Reserve Captain from 1957 to 1963. Feldman also served as a law clerk to the Hon. John Minor Wisdom, U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit from 1957 to 1959. Feldman had a private practice in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1959 to 1983.

Deep Water Drilling

Main article: Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar

On June 22, 2010, Judge Feldman issued a preliminary injunction blocking a six month moratorium on deep-water offshore drilling in Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs indicated that the Obama administration intended to immediately appeal the decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.^[1]

Feldman's 2008 financial disclosure report [1] indicates that in that year, he owned stock in Transocean, the company that owned the Deepwater Horizon rig, as well as in other oil companies which would be affected by the moratorium.^[2] A federal judge is required to consider recusal when he owns shares in one of the parties in the case before him, however none of the companies listed in Feldman's 2008 disclosure were directly involved in the action against Salazar.

Feldman's 2009 financial disclosure report [2] indicates that he had financial investments in BlackRock, the largest holder of BP stock. Feldman held stock in Exxon-Mobil during the hearing on the drilling moratorium and from June 8 to June 21, he issued several orders related to the moratorium case. On June 22, at the "opening of the stock market", he reportedly sold his Exxon-Mobil stock. Hours later, he issued his ruling lifting the moratorium.^[3]

As of the June 9, 2010 amended complaint, Transocean, Black Rock, BP and Exxon-Mobil were not plaintiffs in the action.[3]

References

1. ^ Savage, Charlie. Judge Blocks Deep-Water Drilling Moratorium. The New York Times. June 22, 2010.
2. ^ Roosevelt, Margot. Gulf oil spill: New Orleans judge held energy-related stocks. Los Angeles Times. June 22, 2010.
3. ^ Washington Post, June 26, 2010, Steven Mufson and Joe Stephens, Judge in drilling case held stock in oil company affected by moratorium, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062504155.html?hpid=topnews, accessed June 25, 2010

External links

• Martin Leach-Cross Feldman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Martin Feldman, 2009 Financial Disclosure Report
• Martin Feldman, 2008 Financial Disclosure Report

Persondata
Name	Feldman, Martin Leach-Cross
Alternative names
Short description	United States federal judge
Date of birth	1934
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death
Place of death