Henry W. Goddard
Encyclopedia
Henry Warren Goddard was a longtime federal
judge
in New York City
.
Born in New York, Goddard graduated from New York Law School
in 1901. From 1901 to 1923, he worked as a lawyer in private practise in Manhattan and became active in Republican
politics. In 1923, President
Warren G. Harding
appointed Goddard as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
, filling a newly created seat on the court. Goddard served as an active judge until 1954.
Goddard's caseload varied during his 31 years on the bench. Civil cases heard by Goddard included a 1929 suit filed by Anne Nichols
against Universal Pictures
, alleging that the screenplay for the film The Cohens and Kellys
was plagiarized from Nichols' Broadway
play Abie's Irish Rose
. Goddard's conclusion that there had been no copyright infringement
was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
in an opinion by Learned Hand
. Goddard also ruled on the invasion-of-privacy case that William James Sidis
filed against The New Yorker
magazine, based on an article written by James Thurber
; Goddard's decision to dismiss that case was affirmed by the Second Circuit in a widely cited ruling.
In still another case involving media issues, Goddard signed a consent decree
in 1940 ending the practice of block booking
of motion pictures into theatres. In 1948, Goddard presided over the case of Danny Gardella
, who challenged the antitrust exemption for major league baseball
in a dispute arising from his attempt to return to the major leagues
after having played a season in the Mexican League.
In criminal matters, Goddard was best known as the judge who presided over the second perjury
trial of Alger Hiss
, in 1949 and 1950, after Hiss's earlier trial before Judge Samuel Kaufman resulted in a hung jury
. Goddard was more lenient in his evidentiary rulings than Kaufman had been, allowing both prosecutor Thomas Murphy
and Hiss's counsel, Claude Cross, to elicit testimony that Kaufman had excluded, including the opinion of a psychiatrist
who had examined the government's key witness, Whittaker Chambers
. Hiss was convicted at the second trial, and Goddard sentenced him to five years in federal prison. In 1952, Hiss moved for a retrial based on newly discovered evidence relating to the typewriter
on which certain incriminating documents had been typed. Goddard denied the motion, finding that Hiss failed to establish that he would probably have been acquitted had the new evidence been presented to the jury.
Goddard also presided over other criminal cases ranging from violations of Prohibition
in the 1920s, to espionage
charges against German and German-American defendants, including Anthony Cramer, during World War II
.
Off the bench, Goddard was heavily involved in charity work on behalf of the blind, including appeals for public support for The Lighthouse.
In 1954, Goddard retired as a full-time judge and took senior status
on the Southern District bench. He died one year later, while playing golf at a country club near his summer house in Connecticut.
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Born in New York, Goddard graduated from New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
in 1901. From 1901 to 1923, he worked as a lawyer in private practise in Manhattan and became active in Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politics. In 1923, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
appointed Goddard as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
, filling a newly created seat on the court. Goddard served as an active judge until 1954.
Goddard's caseload varied during his 31 years on the bench. Civil cases heard by Goddard included a 1929 suit filed by Anne Nichols
Anne Nichols
Anne Nichols was an American playwright.Born in Dales Mill, Georgia, Nichols penned a number of Broadway plays, several of which were made into motion pictures...
against Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, alleging that the screenplay for the film The Cohens and Kellys
The Cohens and Kellys
The Cohens and Kellys is a 1926 comedy film directed by Harry A. Pollard and starring Charles Murray, George Sidney, Kate Price and Jason Robards Sr. The film is the first of the Cohens and Kellys film serials. The film is perhaps best known today as the subject of Nichols v...
was plagiarized from Nichols' Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Abie's Irish Rose
Abie's Irish Rose
Abie's Irish Rose is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols familiar from stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic girl and a young Jewish man who marry despite the objections of their families.-Theater and films:...
. Goddard's conclusion that there had been no copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
in an opinion by Learned Hand
Learned Hand
Billings Learned Hand was a United States judge and judicial philosopher. He served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and later the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit...
. Goddard also ruled on the invasion-of-privacy case that William James Sidis
William James Sidis
William James Sidis was an American child prodigy with exceptional mathematical and linguistic abilities. His IQ was estimated to be between 250 and 300 - one of the highest ever recorded - he entered Harvard early at age 11, and as an adult was conversant in over 40 languages and dialects...
filed against The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine, based on an article written by James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
; Goddard's decision to dismiss that case was affirmed by the Second Circuit in a widely cited ruling.
In still another case involving media issues, Goddard signed a consent decree
Consent decree
A consent decree is a final, binding judicial decree or judgment memorializing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit in return for withdrawal of a criminal charge or an end to a civil litigation...
in 1940 ending the practice of block booking
Block booking
Block booking is a system of selling multiple films to a theater as a unit. Block booking was the prevailing practice among Hollywood's major studios from the turn of the 1930s until it was outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc....
of motion pictures into theatres. In 1948, Goddard presided over the case of Danny Gardella
Danny Gardella
Daniel Lewis Gardella was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals...
, who challenged the antitrust exemption for major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in a dispute arising from his attempt to return to the major leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
after having played a season in the Mexican League.
In criminal matters, Goddard was best known as the judge who presided over the second perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
trial of Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
, in 1949 and 1950, after Hiss's earlier trial before Judge Samuel Kaufman resulted in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
. Goddard was more lenient in his evidentiary rulings than Kaufman had been, allowing both prosecutor Thomas Murphy
Thomas Francis Murphy
Thomas Francis Murphy was a federal prosecutor and judge in New York City.-Biography:Murphy was born in New York. He attended Georgetown University and Fordham Law School, from which he graduated in 1930...
and Hiss's counsel, Claude Cross, to elicit testimony that Kaufman had excluded, including the opinion of a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who had examined the government's key witness, Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial...
. Hiss was convicted at the second trial, and Goddard sentenced him to five years in federal prison. In 1952, Hiss moved for a retrial based on newly discovered evidence relating to the typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
on which certain incriminating documents had been typed. Goddard denied the motion, finding that Hiss failed to establish that he would probably have been acquitted had the new evidence been presented to the jury.
Goddard also presided over other criminal cases ranging from violations of Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in the 1920s, to espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
charges against German and German-American defendants, including Anthony Cramer, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Off the bench, Goddard was heavily involved in charity work on behalf of the blind, including appeals for public support for The Lighthouse.
In 1954, Goddard retired as a full-time judge and took senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on the Southern District bench. He died one year later, while playing golf at a country club near his summer house in Connecticut.