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Elected Member

The Hon.
Elizabeth
A.
Wolford

Location
Rochester, NY, USA
Affiliation
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
Education
Colgate University
Notre Dame Law School

Elizabeth A. Wolford is Chief United States District Judge for the Western District of New York.  She was appointed United States District Judge for the Western District of New York by President Obama on December 17, 2013.  She is the first woman to serve in this role.

Before assuming the bench, Judge Wolford practiced law for over twenty years with The Wolford Law Firm LLP, where she concentrated her practice in civil litigation, with an emphasis on commercial and employment matters.  Judge Wolford is a past president of the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar (2010-2012) and the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys ("GRAWA") (2003-2004).  She currently serves on the Monroe County Bar Association's Board of Trustees.

In 2013, the New York State Bar Association ("NYSBA") presented Judge Wolford with its Root/Stimson Award, and in 2002 she received NYSBA's Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award.  Judge Wolford has also been recognized by a number of other bar associations, including the Western New York Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (President's Award - 2014), the Monroe County Bar Association (President's Award - 2012), and GRAWA (Hanna S. Cohn Mentoring Award - 2008, President's Award - 1999).  In November 2010, she was recognized as a "Leader in the Law" by The Daily Record, and in November 2006, she received the Rochester Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Award.  In 2000, she was a recipient of a Special Service Award from the Court on which she now sits, for excellence in the vigorous representation of a pro bono client.

Areas of Expertise
Federal Civil Procedure (Federal Courts)
Criminal Law
Federal Courts

Member News

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Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.

Despite his sober assessment, Traynor maintains a guarded optimism rooted in America’s resilience, civic traditions, and individual potential to effect change. He highlights positive actions within the legal community, nonprofit organizations, and among engaged citizens, while outlining five practical steps Americans can take to strengthen democracy: improving civic education, demanding accountability, fostering open debate, participating in elections and local governance, and resisting simplistic solutions.

Traynor concludes that democracy is “stubborn work,” incremental, imperfect, and ongoing, but expresses confidence that Americans have the resolve to preserve it.

Read the full article The New Nationalist. 

Michael Traynor is senior counsel at Cobalt LLP in Berkeley California. He served as ALI President from 2000 to 2008, and as Chair of the Council from 2008 to 2011. He is also a recipient of ALI's Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Traynor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   He received the John P. Frank Outstanding Lawyer Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is an honorary life trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and of Earthjustice and a past President (1973) of the Bar Association of San Francisco. 

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