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Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm92081576
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Irving R. Kaufman, jurist, were given to the Library of Congress in 1992 by Helen R. Kaufman, Stephen E. Banner, and Robert J. Katz.
The Kaufman Papers were processed in 1993 by Karen Linn with the assistance of Patrick Kerwin. The finding aid was revised in 2010.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Irving R. Kaufman in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
The papers of Irving R. Kaufman are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Irving R. Kaufman Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Irving Robert Kaufman (1910-1992) span the years 1934-1992 with the vast bulk of material dating after 1949, when Kaufman was appointed to the federal judiciary. The papers document his professional activities while serving for over forty years as a federal judge, first as a district judge and then as an appellate judge for the second circuit. Included are speeches and writings, correspondence, scrapbooks, material from American Bar Association committees that Kaufman chaired or served on, items from the Juvenile Justice Standards Project which he chaired, conference materials, court papers, and subject files. Personal and family papers are few.
The first two series are comprised of papers from Kaufman's two judgeships: the Southern District of New York
(1949-1961) and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (1961-1992). Each
series is divided into two subseries: Court Papers and Office Files. The Court Papers
from the Southern District
of New York include transcripts of testimony, charges to juries, opinions,
sentences, and appeals. Fourteen of Kaufman's district court cases appear in the Case
Files, including two of his most famous and controversial cases:
The Court Papers of the second series, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals , are very few. The two case files present are composed primarily of memoranda between the judges. Also included are affirmances, dockets, and opinions. The extensive Office Files subseries for the Court of Appeals is comprised of Kaufman's papers from American Bar Association committees, the Juvenile Justice Standards Program, professional organizations, conferences and seminars, materials concerning the operation of the courthouse and the courts of the second circuit, reference papers, and correspondence with other judges. There is substantial correspondence between Kaufman and Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Justice Tom C. Clark.
The Subject File contains most of Kaufman's correspondence with various individuals. Substantial correspondence is present between Kaufman and his longtime friend Simon H. Rifkind. There are also files on the Harvard Law School fellowship named in Kaufman's honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom bestowed on Kaufman, several law schools, news clippings, nonprofessional organizations, and topics of interest to Kaufman, such as drug abuse and cameras in the courtroom.
Kaufman's prolific writing was aided by his law clerks, as memoranda to them indicate. He published widely and delivered many speeches. The Speeches and Writings series has been split into several chronologically arranged sections: articles, book reviews, letters to the editor, research material, and speeches. Correspondence with publishers, readers, or event organizers is often included.
The final series is a set of three scrapbooks dating from 1951 to 1970. The books are filled
with news clippings, most dating from Kaufman's service on the district court. The first
volume and part of the second are devoted to the Rosenbergs' trial, appeals, and
execution. With the help of a clipping service, Kaufman assembled items from many
diverse sources. Other cases highlighted in the scrapbooks are
This collection is arranged in six series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm92081576
Case files, appeals, opinions, and sentences.
Arranged chronologically by type of material.
Correspondence, notebooks from meetings and conferences, a compilation of speeches and essays used as a reference file, and miscellaneous material.
Arranged alphabetically.
Affirmances, case files, dockets, and opinions.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Correspondence, conference material, notebooks, reports, news clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous material.
Arranged alphabetically.
Correspondence, news clippings, reports, press releases, and miscellaneous material.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, organization, or subject.
Articles, book reviews, letters to the editor, research material, and speeches.
Organized alphabetically by type of writing and arranged chronologically therein.
Case files of Buckley v. Littell and Turpin v. Mailet.
Arranged and described according to the series and container from which they were removed.
News clippings.
Arranged chronologically.