H. Medina, 102; Judged 11 Communists

Harold Medina, a federal judge who presided over the trial of 11 Communist leaders who conspired to overthrow the United States government, has died. He was 102.

Medina was admitted to Pascack Valley Hospital on Monday with a slight fever, said his grandson, Standish Forde Medina Jr. He died Wednesday in his sleep.

Medina became a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1947. Shortly after his appointment, he presided over the raucous, nine-month trial of 11 Communists, who were convicted of conspiring to use force to overthrow the federal government.

Goading defense lawyers accused Medina of favoring the prosecution. In the end, he sentenced five defense lawyers to up to six months in jail for contempt. The Supreme Court upheld all the convictions in split votes, and Medina became a reluctant hero among anti-Communists.

In 1951, Medina moved to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals when Judge Learned Hand retired.

Medina was assigned an antitrust case involving 17 leading investment banking companies. The case was dismissed after 2 1/2 years and Medina’s 420-page opinion became a textbook on investment banking.

Medina officially retired in 1958, but continued as a “senior” judge for another 22 years, writing opinions of all kinds.

At the time of his death, Medina had the double honor of being the oldest federal judge and the oldest alumnus of Princeton University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1909. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1912.

Medina is survived by two sons, six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. A funeral was scheduled for Sunday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.