Reena Raggi

Reena Andrea Raggi is a senior United States circuit judge on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, with chambers located in Brooklyn, New York. Appointed to the appellate bench by President George W. Bush in 2002, she previously served as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of New York from 1987 until her elevation in 2002. Her career includes experience in private practice, federal prosecution, and a clerkship on the Seventh Circuit, and she is noted for being the first woman to sit on the Eastern District’s bench and for an assertive style of judicial questioning.

Early life and legal career

Born in 1951, Reena Raggi pursued her undergraduate education at Wellesley College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She continued her studies at Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude with a Juris Doctor in 1976; during law school she participated on the Board of Student Advisers. Following graduation, Raggi completed a one‑year clerkship with Judge Thomas E. Fairchild of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, gaining early exposure to appellate practice.

After her clerkship, Raggi was admitted to the New York bar and entered private practice at the Manhattan firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel. In 1979 she transitioned to public service as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, a role she held for several years. Her prosecutorial work culminated in an appointment as interim United States Attorney for the district in 1986. Later that year she returned briefly to private practice with the New York City firm Windels, Marx, Davies & Ives before being nominated to the federal bench.

Federal appellate service

Raggi’s first judicial appointment came from President Ronald Reagan, who nominated her on January 20 1987 to fill a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York created by Judge Frank Altimari’s elevation to the Second Circuit. The Senate confirmed her nomination on May 7 1987, and she received her commission the same day. At 35 years old, Raggi was among the youngest federal judges serving at that time and became the first woman appointed to the Eastern District’s fourteen‑member bench.

During her fifteen‑year tenure as a district judge, Raggi presided over a range of civil and criminal matters. Notably, she oversaw the trial arising from the 1993 Golden Venture incident, in which a vessel carrying approximately three hundred Chinese migrants ran aground on a sandbar off Queens, New York. Her service on the district court concluded on October 7 2002 when she was elevated to the appellate level.

President George W. Bush nominated Raggi to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on May 1 2002, designating her to succeed Judge Amalya Kearse, who had taken senior status earlier that June. The Senate confirmed her by an 85‑to‑0 vote on September 20 2002, and she received her commission on October 4 2002. As a circuit judge, Raggi joined a court with jurisdiction over federal appeals from New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, and she established her chambers in Brooklyn.

Raggi served as an active circuit judge for nearly sixteen years before assuming senior status on August 31 2018. In senior status she continues to hear cases and contribute to the Second Circuit’s workload, maintaining a presence on the appellate bench while allowing for a reduced caseload under federal judicial guidelines.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Throughout her time on both the district and appellate courts, Judge Raggi has been recognized for an assertive approach to courtroom questioning. Colleagues and observers note that she frequently engages in rigorous interrogation of counsel during oral arguments, a practice that reflects a broader commitment to clarifying legal issues and testing the strength of parties’ positions.

Raggi’s judicial record includes participation in decisions shaping federal law within the Second Circuit’s jurisdiction, though specific opinions are not enumerated here. Her continued service as a senior judge underscores an ongoing contribution to the development of appellate jurisprudence, particularly in areas frequently litigated before the circuit such as securities regulation, antitrust matters, and civil rights claims.

Beyond her courtroom demeanor, Raggi’s career marks several milestones for gender representation within the federal judiciary. As the first woman appointed to the Eastern District of New York, she helped broaden the bench’s demographic composition at a time when female federal judges were relatively uncommon. Her subsequent elevation to the Second Circuit further solidified her role as a trailblazer for women in the higher echelons of the federal courts.

Judge Raggi’s professional trajectory—from academic achievement at Wellesley and Harvard, through private practice and federal prosecution, to long‑standing service on both district and appellate benches—illustrates a comprehensive engagement with the American legal system. Her ongoing activity as a senior circuit judge ensures that her experience continues to influence the adjudication of significant federal matters within the Second Circuit, contributing to the court’s institutional memory and its capacity to address complex legal questions.