Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge
Judge Block gives the reader an engaging, often humorous account of his life, as always, and a compelling introduction to the world of a Federal judge whose decisions are subject to plenty of public scrutiny but whose decision-making process remains a mystery for most Americans. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States --President Bill ClintonAt 78, Frederic Block is going strong. He still hears cases as a senior judge in Federal District Court for the Eastern District, which has jurisdiction over Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. He picked up modern Greek a few years ago. And now, he has written an engaging autobiography titled Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge (Thomson Reuters Westlaw, $29.95).  Despite the title, don t expect a bare-all book. Still, Judge Block offers a rare look behind decision-making on the federal bench. His stated goal was to make judicial proceedings accessible to the layman, and mercifully, without footnotes he largely succeeds.  He has plenty of experience to draw on, including cases involving the Crown Heights riots, Kitty Genovese and Peter Gotti. And he has plenty to say. This is, after all, the same forthright jurist who warned prosecutors in a murder-for-hire case that seeking the death penalty was absurd, and who once worried aloud that he would have egg foo young on my face if a Chinese defendant skipped bail.  A version of this article appeared in print on August 12, 2012, on page MB3 of the New York edition with the headline: Exploring a Lyricist and a Brooklyn Bohemia .   By SAM ROBERTS Published: August 10, 2012 --A version of this article appeared in print on August 12, 2012, on page MB3 of the New York edition with the headline: Exploring a Lyricist and a Brooklyn Bohemia . By Sam Roberts