I am a retired New York State Judge. I served in Onondaga County Court for nineteen years presiding over the most serious felony level crimes. I was also an Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice and one of only three justices in the State of New York who conducted the annual review of civilly committed sex offenders.
Before taking the bench I was engaged in the practice of law specializing in criminal defense and civil litigation. I also served as a legal-aid lawyer for five years at the start of my career. I was included in the Best Lawyers In America 2nd through the 12th Editions, Who’s Who In American Law and Who’s Who in American Politics-1973. I’ve written numerous law review articles involving a wide variety of issues in the area of criminal law and the confinement of civilly committed sex offenders. I’ve also authored pieces on the Irish Peace Process. I’ve also published one book, a biography entitled James K. McGuire Boy Mayor and Irish Nationalist (Syracuse University Press 2014). I’ve had op-ed pieces published in the Los Angeles Times, Cleveland Plain-Dealer and Syracuse Post-Standard dealing with various issues.
I’ve never written a blog before and hope it’s interesting, fun and that you enjoy it.