Justice Sandra J. Feuerstein was born in 1946, the daughter of Immigration Judge Annette Elstein. After earning a B.S. from the University of Vermont in 1966, she worked as a teacher for the New York City public school system for six years. Feuerstein went on to earn a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1979. She worked from 1980 to 1985 as a law clerk for the New York Supreme Court Law Department and from 1985 to 1987 as a law clerk to Leo H. McGinity, Administrative Judge of Nassau County. She also served as matrimonial referee for the Nassau County Supreme Court.
Feuerstein joined the bench as a Nassau County District Court Judge in 1987, and held this position until 1993, when she was elected as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. In 1999, Gov. George Pataki designated Feuerstein to the Appellate Division, Second Department, making her the first woman from the Tenth Judicial District to earn this appointment. She left the Appellate Division in 2003 to accept a nomination by George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Feuerstein taught as a Special Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of Law from 1998 to 2003. She is a member and past president of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association and past vice president of the New York State Women’s Bar Association.
Sources
“Biographical Directory of Federal Judges: Feuerstein, Sandra J.” History of the Federal Judiciary. Federal Judicial Center. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=3026.
Storey, Jeff. “Enjoying the Jobs of Their Lives: Alumni on the Bench.” Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Summer 2001. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/life/summer2001/alumni-judges/.
“The Honorable Sandra J. Feuerstein.” Faculty. Hofstra University. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. http://bulletin.hofstra.edu/content.php?catoid=7&navoid=176.