# Jose Alberto Cabranes

> Federal judicial disclosures.

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/disclosures/23760

## Record

- **Judge:** Jose Alberto Cabranes
- **Year:** 2009
- **Pages:** 12

## Text

CT Higher Education Trust — None
CV Ihgher Education Trust — None
Vanguard Money Market Account — Interest — Sold — Redemplion
Vanguard Money Market Account — Interest — Sold — Redempiion
Vanguard Moncy Market Fund — Interest — Sold — Redemption
WYF Wyeth — Int/Div — Sold
Thanford Life & Annuity Ins. Co (vanable Yife ins. pohicy) — None
Sec "Attachment A” hercto
Gift — The Quinnipiack Club. New Ilaven, CT — Lunch (at my own expense) privilege
Spouse's income — 2009 — University of Chicago Press (Royalites)
Spouse's income — 2009 — Thomson-West (Royalucs)
José A. Cabranes

U.S. Circuit Judge (Second Circuit)

May 13, 2010

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2009

ATTACHMENT C

V. Gifts

For some months in 2009, and for many years since | became a federal judge in December 1979, 1

benefitted from the opportunity afforded by The Quinnipiack Club of New Haven, Connecticut (“Club”) to state

and federal judges who work in New Haven, and to the Mayor of the City of New Haven, to have lunch at the

Club at their own expense.

In Pub. L. No. 110-402, Section 2, 122 Stat. 4255 (Oct. 13, 2008), Congress enacted legislation

prohibiting a judicial officer from accepting a gift of an honorary ¢

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with a value of more than £50

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in any calendar year. This legislation was followed by a May 13, 2009 advisory letter regarding this legislation to

federal judges from the Chair of the Committee on Codes of Conduct of the Judicial Conference ofthe United

States, captioned “Restrictions on Honorary Club Memberships.” This legislation and letter caused me to question

for the first time whether the lunch arrangement at the Club constitutes a “gift” reportable on my annual Financial

Disclosure Form. After careful consideration of the matter, I concluded in 2009 that, in the circumstances

presented, reporting the arrangement may be appropriate.

Under the arrangement described above | was never a member or honorary member of the Club. Nor was |

ever cntitled to any of the usual perquisites of Club membership—e.g., the rights to have breakfast or dinner at the

Club; provide lodging at the Club for guests; or use the banquet facilities of the Club. Because the luncheon

arrangement described above was available to no other group or groups of persons, and was not available for

purchase by any other group, neither the Club nor I were able to fix a “value” for the arrangement, much less the

“fair market value” of the arrangement. Nevertheless, in the interest of completeness, and in light of the recent

legislation and the guidance of the Committee on Codes of Conduct, | reported the arrangement in 2009 (with

respect to Calendar Year 2008 and all earlier reporting years), despite the fact that | was unable to determine how

a value on the arrangement can be determined and despite my inability to be certain of its reportability.

In any event, because of the impossibility of determining the value of this arrangement, I decided in 2009

to discontinue this limited association with the Club, effective on the date of the filing of the Financial Disclosure

Form for 2008 (filed in 2009).

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/disclosures/23760. Public record. Not legal advice.