Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave
On May 17, 2025, one day shy of the 24th anniversary of her investiture, Lois Bloom retired from her position as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Magistrate Judge Bloom celebrated her retirement with a “Devestiture” ceremony that featured remarks by, among others, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Chief U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie, and District Judges Ann Donnelly and Pamela Chen.
Magistrate Judge Bloom dedicated her career to public service. After obtaining her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1985, she worked at the West Side SRO Law Project representing indigent tenants in housing court. During the 13 years before she took the bench, she served as senior staff attorney in the Pro Se Office in the Southern District of New York, a position for which she thrice received the Second Circuit Merit Award. Magistrate Judge Bloom was sworn in as a magistrate judge on June 1, 2001. A poignant memory from her early tenure was the naturalization ceremony over which she presided on the morning of September 11, 2001, when she swore in 300 new citizens before the courthouse was evacuated.
Magistrate Judge Bloom’s retirement is not only a chance for the federal courts to pause, reflect, and appreciate her decades of service, but also for her to reflect on what changed – and what did not – over her tenure. The comment of her former colleague, former U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson, resonated with her: No matter what, judges still need to deal with one case at a time. Magistrate Judge Bloom believes that, at the district court level, “it’s all about the people.” In most cases, she found it easier to handle an earnest pro se litigant than an underprepared attorney.
Magistrate Judge Bloom’s mentors and role models for her approach to judging include Justice Sotomayor, Nadine Strossen, and the judges of the Southern District of New York with whom she worked as a senior staff attorney, especially Judge Charles A. Brieant, who taught her to “rule and role” and to learn from every case.
A period of momentous change for the courts, however, was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In Magistrate Judge Bloom’s words, “COVID changed everything” as judges, attorneys, and litigants adapted to remote proceedings. The challenge arose from the fact that “the courtroom is your friend” in federal litigation, because in-person proceedings force attorneys to be in the same room and speak to each other directly. Magistrate Judge Bloom also lamented how remote proceedings impeded her ability, when on criminal duty, to get to know the agents who were presenting warrants to her.
The general subject matter of cases in federal court has changed as well. Magistrate Judge Bloom has noticed that there are more FLSA wage-and-hour cases, and on the criminal side, “big” cases arising from long investigations of gangs and complex transactions such as cyber-crime.
Through it all, Magistrate Judge Bloom’s favorite proceedings have been settlement conferences. She thoroughly enjoyed engaging with parties in a meaningful way to resolve their disputes. She observed that even if a case did not settle at the first conference, the time invested was never a waste but would typically bear fruit down the road. Her advice to other mediators has three components:
(1) Conducting pre-settlement phone conferences;
(2) Telling parties how much time she could give them; and
(3) Being herself in listening to and engaging with the parties directly.
Asked what she will miss the most about the court, Magistrate Judge Bloom said that she would miss the people she worked with and that she felt like she was “leaving a piece” of her heart behind. On the other hand, with no post-retirement plans, she is looking forward to spending time with her family, traveling, and reading long novels such as “Moby Dick” and “War and Peace.”
The Federal Bar Council commends Magistrate Judge Bloom on a long and impactful career in the federal courts in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. The people of these districts are better for her compassionate commitment to justice for all. We wish her a relaxing and enjoyable retirement!