Lives of Consequence
Honorable Herbert J. Stern '58 P'03 LL.D.'74
Lawyer and Judge
Throughout his career, Stern has remained committed to the principle of justice, whether as an assistant district attorney conducting the grand jury investigation into the death of Malcolm X or as a U.S. Attorney prosecuting public corruption cases. By age 36, Stern had indicted eight mayors, two secretaries of state, two state treasurers, two powerful political bosses, a U.S. congressman and 64 other public officials.
Stern's career has been so dynamic that it has inspired two books, "Tiger in the Court" and "Judgment in Berlin," of which the latter was adapted into a major motion picture with Martin Sheen portraying Stern as he presides over an international hijacking case.
Fresh out of the University of Chicago Law School, Stern worked in the Homicide Bureau of the New York County district attorney's office from 1962-1965, ordering the arrests of the men who killed Malcolm X. From 1965 to 1969, he served as Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1969, he served as Chief Assistant in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, becoming Acting United States Attorney in Office from 1970 until 1971. From 1971 to 1974, he was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. His longest appointment was as United States District Judge in the same district, where he served from 1974 to 1987. In 1979, he served as the United States Judge for Berlin during the hijacking case on which the movie "Judgment in Berlin" is based.
In 1990, Stern co-founded the law firm Stern and KilKullen, where he currently serves as a senior partner. In this role, he continues to be referred to as a corruption fighter and is sought after to handle cases involving dishonest government practices, investigating everything from town board members to mob bosses.
Apart from his career as an attorney, Stern has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall and Rutgers Schools of Law. Since 1980, he has served as co-director of the Advocacy Institute at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Since graduating, Stern has stayed active within the Hobart and William Smith community. He received an honorary degree from the Colleges in 1974, has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1997, and was instrumental in starting the Colleges' mock trial team. Stern has also been influential in preserving the collection of books donated in honor of the late Professor Frank O'Laughlin. The Colleges' academic building, Stern Hall, is named in honor of Stern's generosity.
Judge Stern has received numerous awards, including the Dean's Award for Exceptional Public Service from the Akron University School of Law in 1986; the Schwartzer Fellow from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985; the Sierra Club Distinguished Public Service Award in 1973; and the Bronze Shields of Newark Exceptional Community Service Award of the Society of Black Police Officers in 1973. Judge Stern was the winner of the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge George Washington Honor Medal for Excellence in the category of books in 1984; and the winner of the International Platform Association's Clarence Darrow Award in 1985. He has been the recipient of the Torch of Learning Award of the American Friends of the Hebrew University in 1987, and the Medal of Excellence from Hobart College in 1990.