In Memoriam

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The Law Revision Commission records with regret the death of its former Chairman, the
Honorable Joseph M. McLaughlin, on August 8, 2013 at the age of 80 years. Born in Brooklyn,
New York, Judge McLaughlin received an A.B. from Fordham College in 1954, and was a
Captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1955 to 1957. He received a LL.B.
from Fordham University School of Law in 1959, and an LL.M. from New York University
School of Law in 1964. He practiced law in New York City from 1959 to 1961. He taught at
Fordham University School of Law in Manhattan from 1961 to 1971 when he became Dean, a
position he held for ten years.

He served as Chairman of the New York Law Revision Commission from 1975 to 1982.
During his tenure as Chairman of the Commission, he led the Commission’s studies on the
Recodification of the Insurance Law, Creditors Rights Under Article 9 of the Uniform
Commercial Code, Indemnification of Public Officers and Employees, the Defense of Insanity,
and the Right of Election of a Surviving Spouse.

In 1981, he was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
New York. He served there until in 1990 when he was nominated to United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served on the Second Circuit bench until 2013.
In addition to serving as a Judge, he was an adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s
University School of Law and Fordham University School of Law. His publications include
numerous well-known works on the law of evidence and civil procedure. In addition to all his
distinguished accomplishments, he will always be remembered for his fine sense of humor.