JUDGMENT AND MERCY: MARTIN J. SIEGEL

70 years ago, Judge Irving Kaufman presided over the atomic espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and sentenced them to death. Meant to propel him to “the Jewish seat” on the Supreme Court, the case haunted him to the end. This biography brings to life the complexities of this man and reveals the intramural Jewish battles over assimilation, class and patriotism.