Ackerman was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Irvington, where he graduated from Irvington High School before earning his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall University.

He engaged in the private practice of law in New Jersey from 1951 to 1954.

[3] On September 28, 1979, Ackerman was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, vacated by Judge George H. Barlow.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979, and received his commission on November 2, 1979.

He assumed senior status on February 15, 1994, serving in that capacity until his death on December 2, 2009, at his home in West Orange, New Jersey.