Martin Feldman

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

* * *

Education

Bachelor's

Tulane University, 1955

Law

Tulane Law School, 1957

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis, Mo.

Contact

Official website

Martin Leach-Cross Feldman was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He joined the court in 1983 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan (R). Feldman's service ended upon his death on January 26, 2022.[1]

Feldman also served on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from May 19, 2010, until May 18, 2017.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Biography
* 1.1 Early life and education
* 1.2 Military service
* 1.3 Professional career
* 2 Judicial career
* 2.1 Eastern District of Louisiana
* 3 Noteworthy cases
* 3.1 4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards (2020)
* 3.2 Upholding of Louisiana's same-sex marriage ban (2014)
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Biography[edit]

### Early life and education[edit]

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Feldman graduated from Tulane University with his bachelor's degree in 1955 and his J.D. in 1957.[3]

### Military service[edit]

Feldman served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1957 to 1963, attaining the rank of captain.[3]

### Professional career[edit]

* 1983-2022: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
* 1959-1983: Private practice, New Orleans, La.
* 1957-1959: Law clerk, Hon. John Minor Wisdom, United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit[3]

## Judicial career[edit]

### Eastern District of Louisiana[edit]

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Martin L.C. Feldman
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Progress
Confirmed 22 days after nomination.
ANominated: September 12, 1983
AABA Rating:
Questionnaire:
AHearing: September 28, 1983
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: September 30, 1983
AConfirmed: October 4, 1983
AVote: Voice vote

Feldman was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana by President Ronald Reagan on September 9, 1983, to a seat vacated by Judge Jack M. Gordon. Hearings on Feldman's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 28, 1983, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) on September 30, 1983. Feldman was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on October 4, 1983, and he received his commission the next day.[3][4]

## Noteworthy cases[edit]

### 4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards (2020)[edit]

See also: Lawsuits about state actions and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards: On August 17, 2020, Judge Martin Feldman, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, rejected a request by several New Orleans and Houma bar owners to declare Gov. John Bel Edwards’ (D) order closing bars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic unconstitutional. In their complaint, the bar owners challenged sections of Proclamations 89 JBE 2020 and 96 JBE 2020, arguing that the orders unconstitutionally failed to provide a rational basis for distinguishing between bars—which were shuttered—and restaurants that have bars within them, which were allowed to reopen. The bar owners alleged that the orders represented violations of due process, equal protection, and freedom from unlawful takings, under both the U.S. and Louisiana constitutions. In his order, Feldman, an appointee of Ronald Reagan (R), wrote, "Between democratically accountable state officials and a federal court, who decides what measures best protect Louisianans during a global pandemic? The answer is state officials." As a result, Feldman wrote, "the Court is compelled to conclude that Governor Edwards’ ban of on-site consumption of food or drinks at 'bars' bears a 'real or substantial relation' to the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19 and is not 'beyond all question' a violation of the bar owners’ constitutional rights." Reacting to the decision, Gov. Edwards released a statement: "I am pleased that Judge Feldman upheld bar restrictions, which is one of the critical mitigation measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana to protect and save lives." On August 18, 2020, the bar owners filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[5][6][7][8]

### Upholding of Louisiana's same-sex marriage ban (2014)

See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (Jonathan P. Robicheaus, Et al. v. James D. Caldwell, Louisiana Attorney General, Et al., 13-5090)

Judge Martin Feldman was the presiding judge in the case of Robicheaux v. Caldwell. On September 3, 2014, Feldman ruled that Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriage was constitutional. The judge found that public opinion does not establish a fundamental right to same-sex marriage. He went on to dismiss the argument that the law violated the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. He stated:

“  | Even ignoring the obvious difference between this case and Loving, no analogy can defeat the plain reality that Louisiana's laws apply evenhandedly to both genders--whether between two men or two women.[9][10] | ”

|
|

Feldman drew heavily on tradition in his ruling, often referring to the definition of marriage as thousands of years old and the idea of same-sex marriage cannot be considered a fundamental right due to its relative newness.[11]

## See also[edit]

* United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
* United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
* Judge Feldman's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Nola.com, "Martin Feldman, federal judge based in New Orleans, dies at 87," January 26, 2022
2. ↑ Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, "Current Judges of the FISC," accessed May 11, 2017
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Martin Leach-Cross Feldman," accessed May 12, 2017
4. ↑ United States Congress, "PN 451 — Martin L. C. Feldman — The Judiciary," accessed May 12, 2017
5. ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, "4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards: Order and Reasons," August 17, 2020
6. ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, "4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards: Complaint," July 30, 2020
7. ↑ Office of the Governor of Louisiana, "Gov. Edwards' Statement on the Upholding of Restrictions on Bars by the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana," August 17, 2020
8. ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, "4 Aces Enterprises, LLC v. Edwards: Notice of Expedited Appeal to the Fifth Circuit," August 18, 2020
9. ↑ Nola.com, "Robicheaux v. Caldwell," accessed September 8, 2014
10. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
11. ↑ The Raw Story, "Fed. judge upholds ban on gay marriage while sneering at other courts as ‘pageant of empathy’," September 3, 2014

Political offices

Preceded by
\-  |  United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
1983-2022 | Succeeded by

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Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

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Active judges|

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Magistrate judges|  Karen Wells Roby • Michael B. North • Janis van Meerveld • Dana Douglas • Donna Phillips Currault •
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Thomas Porteous • John Dick • Thomas Bolling Robertson • Samuel Hadden Harper • Philip Kissick Lawrence • Theodore Howard McCaleb • Edward Henry Durell • Edward Coke Billings • Edith Clement • Alvin Rubin • Charles Parlange • Rufus Edward Foster • Eugene Davis Saunders • Martin Feldman • Frederick Heebe • A.J. McNamara • Kurt Engelhardt • Charles Schwartz • Peter Beer • Marcel Livaudais • Charlton Reid Beattie • Wayne Borah • Louis Henry Burns • Robert Ainsworth • George Arceneaux • Edward Boyle • Adrian Caillouet • Patrick Carr (Louisiana) • Fred Cassibry • Herbert Christenberry • Robert Collins • James Comiskey • Adrian Duplantier • Frank Ellis • Jack M. Gordon • Okla Jones • Henry Mentz • Lansing Mitchell • Morey Sear • Elmer West • Roger West (Louisiana) • Veronica Wicker • James Wright (Louisiana) •

Former Chief judges|

Edith Clement • Helen Berrigan • Sarah Vance (Louisiana) • Frederick Heebe • A.J. McNamara • Herbert Christenberry • Morey Sear • Elmer West •

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Federal judges who have served the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

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Active judges|

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Former judges|

James Zagel • Jennifer Coffman • Thomas Russell • Dennis Saylor • Raymond Dearie • Mary McLaughlin • Claire Eagan • Clyde Roger Vinson • William Stafford • James Jones (Virginia) • Malcolm Howard • Martin Feldman • Michael Mosman • Thomas Hogan • Rosemary Collyer • Reggie Walton • John Bates • Susan Webber Wright • James E. Boasberg •

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Federal judges nominated by Ronald Reagan

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1981|

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1982|

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1983|

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1984|

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1985|

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1986|

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1987|

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State of Louisiana
Baton Rouge (capital)

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