[1] He grew up in the nearby community of Brotmanville, which had been established by his grandfather, a Russian immigrant, in Pittsgrove Township.

[2] Brotman left Yale University to serve in the United States Army during World War II, from 1942 to 1945.

He returned to Yale and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Eastern Studies in 1947.

He served again during the Korean War from 1951 to 1952 as a first lieutenant in the Armed Forces Security Agency.

[4] Brotman stopped hearing cases in September 2013, but remained a federal judge until his death.