He was counsel for the Bronx County Clerk's Office in New York from 1939 to 1946.
[1] Sugarman received a recess appointment from President Harry S. Truman on October 21, 1949, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, to a new seat created by 63 Stat.
He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 28, 1950, and received his commission on May 1, 1950.
He was a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1968 to 1971.
Sugarman served in that capacity until his death on August 9, 1974, in Hallandale, Florida.