Floyd Abrams

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American attorney (born 1936)

title: "Floyd Abrams" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1936-births", "abrams-family", "living-people", "new-york-(state)-lawyers", "american-legal-scholars", "jewish-american-academics", "jewish-legal-scholars", "20th-century-american-lawyers", "columbia-law-school-faculty", "yale-law-school-faculty", "cornell-university-alumni", "yale-law-school-alumni", "fellows-of-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences", "people-associated-with-cahill-gordon-&-reindel", "21st-century-american-jews"] description: "American attorney (born 1936)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Abrams" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American attorney (born 1936) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameFloyd Abrams
imageFloyd Abrams by Jeff Weiner.jpg
image_size200px
captionAbrams in 2006
birth_date
birth_placeNew York City, U.S.
known_forFirst Amendment litigation
educationCornell University (BA)
Yale University (JD)
employerCahill Gordon & Reindel
occupationAttorney
children
spouse
familyElliott Abrams (cousin)
::

| name = Floyd Abrams | image = Floyd Abrams by Jeff Weiner.jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = Abrams in 2006 | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | known_for = First Amendment litigation | education = Cornell University (BA) Yale University (JD) | employer = Cahill Gordon & Reindel | occupation = Attorney | children = | spouse = | family = Elliott Abrams (cousin)

Floyd Abrams (born July 9, 1936) is an American lawyer. A member of Cahill Gordon & Reindel since 1963 and currently senior counsel. He has argued 13 First Amendment cases in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, more than any other attorney. Abrams was co-counsel to The New York Times in the 1971 Pentagon Papers case, and represented Judith Miller in the CIA leak grand jury investigation, Standard & Poor's, and Lorillard Tobacco Company among others. He also represented Senator Mitch McConnell in the Citizens United 2010 Supreme Court case. Two of Abrams' clients had been on death row for crimes, and their convictions were overruled by the Supreme Court. A documentary was recently released about him called Speaking Freely.

Early life and education

Abrams was born in New York City on July 9, 1936, the son of Rae (née Eberlin) and Isadore Abrams. He is of Jewish descent. His first cousin is Elliot Abrams, President George W. Bush's deputy national-security advisor. He earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1956, and after trying to decide between a PhD in American History and law, he obtained his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1960.

Career

From 1961 to 1963, Abrams clerked for Judge Paul Conway Leahy of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Abrams joined Cahill Gordon & Reindel in 1963 and became a partner in 1970. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at Columbia Law School from 1981 to 1985. He was the William J. Brennan Jr. visiting Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

He is the founder of the Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression at Yale Law School and the recipient of numerous awards including the Freedom Forum's Free Expression Award, The Media Institute's Freedom of Speech Award, and the American Lawyer's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the namesake of the National Coalition Against Censorship's inaugural Floyd Abrams Award, which recognizes those who have advanced free speech.

Abrams is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His clients have included The McGraw-Hill Companies, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Time Magazine, Business Week, The Nation, Reader's Digest, Hearst, AIG, and others.

He is the author of numerous books including Speaking Freely, The Soul of The First Amendment, and Friend of The Court.

He is the subject of the PBS - American Masters documentary Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely, which was nominated for an Emmy.

Personal life

Abrams lives in New York City with wife Efrat Surasky, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Together they have a son, television host Dan Abrams; and a daughter, Judge Ronnie Abrams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In 2008, Abrams played the role of Judge Hall in the movie Nothing but the Truth.

Recognitions

  • Presented with the Chambers and Partners' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
  • Recipient of the Freedom of Speech Award from The Media Institute in 2024.
  • Honoree and recipient of the Inaugural Floyd Abrams Award by the National Coalition Against Censorship in 2024.
  • Recipient of the Walter Cronkite Freedom of Information Award.

Selected publications

References

References

  1. (18 September 2023). "13 Supreme Court appearances and other important cases in Floyd Abrams' career | American Masters | PBS".
  2. (16 April 2018). "First Amendment Lawyer Floyd Abrams Assesses Recent Changes in Public Trust of Journalism".
  3. "Floyd Abrams {{pipe".
  4. (18 September 2023). "13 Supreme Court appearances and other important cases in Floyd Abrams' career {{pipe}} American Masters {{pipe}} PBS".
  5. Weiss, Debra Cassens. (1 September 2009). "Floyd Abrams' Latest First Amendment Suit Challenges New Tobacco Law". [[American Bar Association]].
  6. "Why the Nation's Most Famous Free Speech Lawyer Won't Use the First Amendment to Defend S&P".
  7. (11 October 2005). "Lawyer Says Miller Lost in Court, Won on Principle". NPR.
  8. "The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers Featuring Floyd Abrams {{pipe".
  9. (11 August 2020). "Facial Recognition Start-Up Mounts a First Amendment Defense in Privacy Suits". The New York Times.
  10. Wilson, Chris. (2023-09-18). "13 Supreme Court appearances and other important cases in Floyd Abrams' career". PBS.
  11. (2 October 1995). "Chronicle". The New York Times.
  12. (5 October 2013). "Floyd Abrams, "Friend of the Court"".
  13. "The Feds' Aggressive Case Against a 25-Year-Old 'Intelligence Geek' Could Set A 'Chilling Precedent'".
  14. (7 July 2023). "Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely - Watch the documentary now! | American Masters | PBS".
  15. "Abrams, Floyd 1936–".
  16. Blum, Howard. (July 7, 2005). "Q and A With Floyd Abrams". [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]].
  17. Dana, Rebecca. (December 6, 2016). "The Abrams Family". [[The New York Observer]].
  18. "Floyd Abrams – first amendment litigator".
  19. (10 October 2013). "Floyd Abrams delivers annual Salant Lecture".
  20. "Floyd Abrams | Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP".
  21. "Floyd Abrams".
  22. "Floyd Abrams, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP: Profile & Biography".
  23. (24 March 2017). "Floyd Abrams '59 Writes New Book on First Amendment {{pipe}} Yale Law School".
  24. "Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression {{pipe".
  25. "Floyd Abrams | Yale Law School".
  26. "2025 Free Expression Awards".
  27. (28 October 2024). "Media Institute Will Honor Floyd Abrams, Patrick Butler, Richard E. Wiley at 'Free Speech America' Gala in Washington".
  28. "Floyd Abrams". [[The American Lawyer]].
  29. "Annual Benefit 2024".
  30. (22 November 2024). "Floyd Abrams {{pipe}} American Academy of Arts and Sciences".
  31. "Floyd Abrams".
  32. "Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely".
  33. (29 July 2024). "The WNET Group Receives 35 New York Emmy Nominations; 4 News & Documentary Emmy Nominations".
  34. "Abrams, Floyd 1936–". Cengage.
  35. ''Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely''. [[American Masters]], episode 3602, September 22, 2023
  36. McCarthy, Todd. (2008-09-09). "Nothing But the Truth".
  37. "Cahill".
  38. (28 October 2024). "Media Institute Will Honor Floyd Abrams, Patrick Butler, Richard E. Wiley at 'Free Speech America' Gala in Washington".
  39. "Annual Benefit 2024".
  40. "40th Anniversary".

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1936-birthsabrams-familyliving-peoplenew-york-(state)-lawyersamerican-legal-scholarsjewish-american-academicsjewish-legal-scholars20th-century-american-lawyerscolumbia-law-school-facultyyale-law-school-facultycornell-university-alumniyale-law-school-alumnifellows-of-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciencespeople-associated-with-cahill-gordon-&-reindel21st-century-american-jews