He was a law clerk for Judge Leonard P. Moore of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1961 to 1962.
Martin was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on January 24, 1990, to a seat vacated by Edward Weinfeld.
[3] In December 2004, amidst growing concerns about Vioxx's cardiovascular risks, Merck paid $21 million[4][5][6] for Martin Jr. and his colleagues at Debevoise & Plimpton to investigate.
In September 2006, "The Martin Report" was released and found no evidence of wrongdoing by senior management, though it noted errors such as a statistician changing a methodology used to analyze trial results.
He retired from regular practice in September 2020, but continues to perform arbitration and consult on complex litigation.