James Michael Maloney

I have been a solo practitioner since 1999, after having worked for two historic maritime law firms in New York City. My practice now consists almost exclusively of federal litigation, including maritime and constitutional law. I am perhaps best known for my own pro se constitutional challenge to New York’s ban on the in-home possession of the martial-arts weapon known as the nunchaku (“nunchucks”), a case that has been in litigation since 2003 (and continues as of November 2015, when this passage was last edited). Over the years, I have represented numerous individuals in state and federal court in connection with their constitutional rights involving nunchaku as well as other banned weapons, including the “black cat keychain” and the so-called “gravity knife.” I continue to represent individuals and companies in maritime and other commercial matters, and, under certain circumstances, to provide criminal defense. Since 2011, I have served as a volunteer mediator at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. My approach to litigation, like my approach to mediation, is to solve problems rather than create them.