John E. Sprizzo
John E. Sprizzo (1934–2008) was a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, where his father worked as a milkman and his mother made dresses. He went to St. John’s University in Queens, earning a BA in 1956 and an LLB in 1959.
Early in his career, Sprizzo worked in the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Section (1959–1963). He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York (1963–1968), rising to chief appellate attorney in 1965 and assistant chief of the Criminal Division in 1966. He taught at Fordham University School of Law (1968–1972). In 1970, he joined the private law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, helping to establish its litigation department. Sprizzo also served on the Knapp Commission in 1971, which investigated corruption in the New York City Police Department. In the early 1970s, he defended former Attorney General John N. Mitchell in Watergate-related cases.
A bipartisan screening committee in 1980 chose Sprizzo as one of three candidates to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan selected him. President Ronald Reagan nominated him on July 29, 1981, to the seat of Judge Charles Tenney. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 25, 1981, and received his commission on September 28, 1981. Sprizzo took senior status on January 1, 2000, and served in that role until his death.
Notable rulings and events:
- 1984: He ruled on the extradition of Joe Doherty, an IRA member who had fled to the United States. Sprizzo said the IRA’s Provisional Wing acted for political reasons, which affected the extradition under the U.S.–U.K. treaty. The ruling caused strong reactions and later contributed to changes in U.S. extradition law. Doherty was deported in 1992.
- 1989: He sharply criticized prosecutors in a drug conspiracy case and dismissed charges against seven defendants. He briefly sealed the court transcripts, which were later released after a protest by The New York Times.
- 1995–1996: He issued and later enforced a permanent injunction against two anti-abortion protesters who blocked a clinic in Dobbs Ferry. When they were arrested again for contempt, Sprizzo acquitted them, saying their actions were based on sincere religious beliefs.
John E. Sprizzo died in Manhattan on December 16, 2008, at age 73, from organ failure.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:39 (CET).