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7 Geo. Immigr. L.J. 277 (1993)
Tribute to Judge Robie

handle is hein.journals/geoimlj7 and id is 289 raw text is: TRIBUTE TO JUDGE ROBIE THEODORE RUTHIZER* As the President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, I had the privilege of working closely with Bill Robie. For the many years I knew him, we shared a cordial and productive relationship. Both he and I shared a mutual interest in improving the quality of the immigration judiciary and the fairness of the judicial process. When I first began to practice immigration law almost 20 years ago, I appeared before an immigration judge (now mercifully retired). When I mentioned to the judge that he and I were graduates of the same law school and that he had missed a recent luncheon honoring members of the judiciary, he looked me straight in the eye and ex- claimed: I'm not a real judge. Unfortunately, his self-assessment was proved all too accurate by his rude demeanor and by his inconsistent and badly reasoned rulings from the bench that day. Years later, I had occasion to recount this tale to Judge Robie, who could only shake his head in dismay. I would be less than candid if I pretended that Judge Robie and I were always in agreement. Indeed, we differed on a whole host of is- sues, including the failure of the immigration courts to accept filing fees and my frequent complaints about the conduct and decision-mak- ing of some immigration judges. But what distinguished Bill was his accessibility, his interest in fair adjudications, and his commitment to excellence. The Robie legacy is found not in the movement for uniform rules of procedure, nor in a better administered court system (both of which he favored). Rather, his legacy will be the many superb immigration law- yers who now serve on the bench and who have added a sense of fair- ness, impartiality, and sensitivity to the difficult process of deciding who may remain and who must be banished from the country. No longer will practice as an INS trial attorney provide the only sure route to the bench. Judge Robie changed the rules. For the first time in his- tory, private immigration attorneys were sought out and encouraged to apply for judgeships. Judge Robie was concerned about fairness, intelli- gence, management skills, and judicial temperament. It didn't matter if * National President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association; partner and head of the Immigration Law Group of the New York law firm of Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn & Berman. A graduate of the Columbia Law School, he is a frequent writer and lecturer on immigration law issues.

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