On May 4, 2026, the Federal Bar Council held its annual Law Day Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street. Council President Shawn Patrick Regan presented the Learned Hand Medal for “Excellence in Federal Jurisprudence” to Second Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco.

Introduction 

Regan introduced Judge Bianco and presented him with the Learned Hand Medal. Regan observed that Judge Bianco had served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1994 to 2003, where he became chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit.

In 2004, Judge Bianco was appointed Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division at Main Justice in Washington, where he remained until his appointment to the District Court for the Eastern District of New York on January 3, 2006. Judge Bianco sat on the district court for 14 years, and then, in 2019, he was appointed to the Second Circuit. 

As a district judge, Judge Bianco handled all the MS-13 cases on Long Island. He performed hundreds of naturalization ceremonies and administered the citizenship oath to more than 40,000 new citizens on Long Island. 

Judge Bianco has hosted more than 400 student field trip groups as part of the Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative. Judge Bianco and his wife Melissa have six children. While he was a district judge, Judge Bianco attended a Catholic seminary for four years so that he could serve as a deacon at his church, and he has preached at least one Mass each Sunday since then. He also visits a nursing home each week and plays competitive basketball. Judge Bianco loves Chipotle and is in the top two percent of its awards program.

“Stop Attacks Against Judges!”

Celebrating Law Day brings to mind personal attacks against judges. Referring to Chief Justice Roberts’ alarm at threats to judges, Regan restated his admonition from last year that there is no place for violence or threats against judges. Simply: “Stop attacks against judges! There is no place for violence against judges doing their job.” 

Regan described Judge Bianco as a man for this season. He works hard to combat fear through education. He has taken over Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann’s Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative, the Summer Justice Institute, and the Bench in Your Backyard programs. Judge Bianco has done more than anyone to advance civics education.

Humbled 

In accepting the Learned Hand Award, Judge Bianco said that he was humbled when he looked at the judges who were prior honorees and those with whom he has had a connection, including Circuit Judges Gerard Lynch, his former criminal law professor, who inspired him to become a prosecutor; Dennis Jacobs, a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP while Judge Bianco was an associate at the firm; Richard J. Sullivan, who helped coach his eighth grade basketball team; and Reena Raggi, a mentor and role model for his entire judicial career. Judge Bianco gave thanks to his family and his clerks. 

Judge Bianco said he had made it his mission to further civics education through the partnership of the courts and the Federal Bar Council. He described his talk as a tribute to the beloved Judge Katzmann, who had the vision of transforming the lives of students across the circuit through civics education. He noted that the Federal Bar Council was involved in almost every single program of the civics education activities through the Justice for All program, a fitting tribute to the Federal Bar Council, Judge Katzmann and District Judge Victor Marrero, who worked with Judge Katzmann from the beginning. Judge Katzmann taught about the importance of democratic institutions and values. 

The Justice for All programs he created provide civics education in fun and interactive sessions across the circuit. In order to connect the courts with the community, Judge Katzmann created field trips to the court to educate and inspire students. He saw that they needed a special place to learn about the law and the courts. The result was the Learning Center at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, where judges and attorneys, including Federal Bar Council volunteers, speak to the students. Judge Bianco leads field trips in Central Islip that include naturalization ceremonies. Field trips have been held all over the circuit. 

In 2016, a court camp that was a civics camp with all-star speakers from throughout the circuit’s legal community, including Brooklyn, Manhattan and Hartford, was started. The many inspirational guests have included Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The circuit has also developed many similar programs that are all intended to further and enhance civics education. Circuit Judge Denny Chin and his wife Kathy Chin have drafted scripts about famous trials that have been performed. Magical moments happen during the programs; an example occurred when special needs students were filled with joy at a program. The courthouse doors are open for every single student to experience the programs.

Visiting Schools

In honor of Law Day and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, judges and Council members have been visiting schools to talk about the courts and the importance of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, visiting 35 schools and speaking to over 4,000 students. As part of these visits, Judge Bianco went to Judge Katzmann’s high school in Queens. Three naturalization ceremonies were conducted in a high school auditorium. 

Judge Bianco said that he comes back to the civics program given in the courthouse every year to welcome the students. He has received numerous letters from students who attended, demonstrating that a few hours in the courthouse can change a student’s life.

Judge Bianco concluded with a clip of Judge Katzmann. In closing, Judge Bianco encouraged Federal Bar Council members to continue Judge Katzmann’s “great civics mission together with that same hope and optimism for the future.”