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• Author: Elizabeth Smith/Mark Thompson
• Pages: 398-441

GALASSO, JOHN MICHAEL

Justice, Tenth Judicial District Supreme

Court, Nassau County

Appointment/Election: Justice of the

Supreme Court 1998-present; reelected

November 2007 to December 2017. Found

well-qualified by the Nassau County Bar

Association and the Independent Judicial

Election Qualification Committee.

Previous Experience: District Court

Judge, Nassau County, 1991-1997; Law

Offices of John Michael Galasso, Mineola,

N.Y., 1978-1991; Assistant District Attorney

County of Nassau, 1969-1978.

Honors and Memberships: Received:

Fidelis Juris Award, Court Officers Benevolent

Association of Nassau County, October 2002;

Catholic Lawyers’ Guild 1998 Judiciary Award,

October 1998; Bench and Bar Award,

Uniformed Court Officers, April 1994. Member:

Board of Directors, Columbian Lawyers Assn.,

Nassau County, Inc., 2008—; Nassau County

Bar Association; Oyster Bay Historical Society;

East Norwich Beautification Committee;

Theodore Roosevelt Park Advisory Committee;

New York State Bar Association; Catholic

Lawyers Guild; St. Dominic’s Usher Society;

Italian-American Citizens Club of Oyster Bay;

Alumni Board, St. Dominic High School,

Oyster Bay, NY. Former member: Nassau

County District Court Judges Association (Vice

President), 1997; District Court Judges

Association of the Sate of New York (Vice

President), 1997; Republican Committee, Town

of Oyster Bay, 1987-1991.

Admission: Admitted to New York State

Bar in 1969; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second

Circuit, 1973; U.S. Supreme Court, 1973;

U.S. District Courts, Eastern and Southern

Districts of New York, 1975; U.S. Court of

Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1979; U.S.

Court of Customs and Patent Appeals,

1979; U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1979;

U.S. Tax Court, 1979; and U.S. Court of

International Trade, 1983.

Education: J.D., St. John’s University

School of Law (1969); B.A., C.W. Post of

Long Island University (1966; History and

Political Science); St. Dominic’s High School,

Oyster Bay, NY (1962; Regent’s Diploma).

Military Service: U.S. Army from Pvt. to

Pvt. E2, 1970-1971.

Biographical Data: Born December 26,

1944. Married; three children; three grand-

children.

Address: 100 Supreme Court Drive

Mineola, NY 11501

Phone: (516) 493-3192

Fax: (516) 571-2164

E-Mail: jgalasso@courts.state.ny.us

Law Clerk: Joyce Marie Andren, Esq.

Secretary to Judge: Nicole T. Troncone

Senior Court Clerk: Shelia F. Rand

ATTORNEYS’COMMENTS

TEMPERAMENT/DEMEANOR

Several interviewees described Judge

Galasso’s demeanor as “very calm,” “even,”

“relaxed” and “perfect.” Those less pleased

with Judge Galasso’s temperament said, “It’s

fine—except when he’s handling bail applica-

tions. Then he behaves unreasonably” and “He

can be very rigid or a little short tempered.”

ON THE BENCH

Interviewees seem to think Judge Galasso

has a good handle on the law. They said,

“[His legal knowledge is excellent. He’s very

experienced,” “It’s above average. What he

doesn’t know, he’ll look up” and “It’s aver-

age.” Lawyers said this judge’s courtroom

management style is “formal,” “relaxed and

efficient,” “rather formal,” “relaxed,”

“var[ying] between formal and relaxed” and

“somewhat relaxed.” Judge Galasso has

impressed nearly all of the attorneys with his

level of preparation. Only one lawyer dis-

agreed with the majority and opined, “He’s

only well prepared some of the time.”

ONTRIAL

Interviewees described Judge Galasso’s

rulings and decisions by saying, “They’re well

considered,” “They’re excellent,” “They’re

legally accurate,” “They’re average” and

“[They’re]...well reasoned.” They also agreed

that he nearly always issues them in a timely

manner. Most members of the bar said this

judge is polite to everyone who appears in

front of him. The one dissenting attorney

said, “[He’s] gotten better. In the past, he

wasn’t always very polite.” Lawyers seem to

appreciate the way this jurist keeps an open

mind to their arguments. Most of them also

believe he moves his cases along at either an

“average” pace or “a bit faster” than other

380 Galasso New York Judge Reviews

judges. One attorney disagreed with the

majority and said Judge Galasso moves his

cases “a bit more slowly than other judges.”

Lawyers described this jurist’s courtroom

atmosphere as “comfortable,” “attorney

friendly,” “more formal” than that of other

judges and “professional and comfortable.”

SETTLEMENTS

Attorneys expressed mixed opinions about

this jurist’s settlement and negotiating skills.

About half of them said they’re either “very

good” or “average.” Those who were more criti-

cal opined, “He’s rather reserved in this area—

unless you ask for his help” and “He’s a bit

reserved—but will render assistance if asked.”

ADJOURNMENTS/CONTINUANCES

According to interviewees, if you demon-

strate good cause, your request for an

adjournment will usually be granted.

Attorneys said, “He’s more likely [to grant

one] because he’s lawyer friendly,” “He’s rea-

sonable about granting these,” “No problem

at all if you have good reason,” “You’ve got an

average chance he’ll grant one–just don’t ask

for too many” and you’ve got an “average”

chance of obtaining one from him.

PROCLIVITIES

The majority of attorneys indicated they

appreciate this judge’s impartiality. They

said, “He’s neutral,” “He’s very fair,” “He’s

very neutral” and “He’s fair.” Others shared

less favorable opinions. “He’s generally mid-

dle of the road. But not a strong jurist.” “His

decisions tend to lean slightly in favor of doc-

tors, insurance companies and the county.”

SUGGESTIONS/SUMMARY

Lawyers gave this judge high marks for

most of his trial management skills and said

they appreciate his ability to maintain a

“comfortable” atmosphere in his courtroom.

GARGUILO, JERRY

Justice, Tenth Judicial District Supreme

Court, Suffolk County

Appointment/Election: Elected in 2008;

current term expires in 2022.

Honors and Memberships: Recipient:

Columbian Lawyers Man of the Year Award,

2009. Member: Suffolk County Bar

Association; Columbian Lawyers Association.

Admission: New York State, Appellate

Division, Second Department, 1977;

Pennsylvania, 1977.

Teaching/Lectures/Publications: Author,

“The Ins and Outs of Case Resolution,” Suffolk

Lawyer, 2008.

Education: J.D., Duquesne University

School of Law, Pittsburg (1977); B.A., St.

Francis College, Loretto, PA (1972).

Biographical Data: Born on October 29,

1950 in Brooklyn, NY. Married; three chil-

dren. Enjoys competitive running.

Recent Noteworthy Decisions: Baker v.

Baker, August, 2010 (Skype Visitation

Decision).

Address: 210 Center Drive

Riverhead, NY 11901

Phone: (631) 852-3428

Fax: (631) 852-2784

E-Mail: jgarguilo@courts.state.ny.us

IAS Part Clerk: Steve Hickey

Law Clerk: Stephanie Galteri

Secretary: Sandy Liccardi

ATTORNEYS’ COMMENTS

TEMPERAMENT/DEMEANOR

Justice Garguilo is a “gentleman,” said

one of the attorneys interviewed about him.

“It is a pleasure to be before him.” Another

interviewee who has known him since he was

in private practice said “he was a sweet guy.”

The attorney added, “The dealings I have had

with him so far in the matrimonial field since

he has been on the bench are all positive. He

seems to be perfect for the job.” A third inter-

viewee said Justice Garguilo “has a very

down-home style to him. I think his greatest

asset is the fact that he has been a practicing

attorney for such a long time that he can

bring that to the table.”

ON THE BENCH

Most interviewees commented on the

wealth of practical experience that Justice

Garguilo brought with him to the bench from

his long career as a private practitioner. “He

has a very broad and diverse background,”

one interviewee said. “He has done matrimoni-

al. He has done criminal. He has done civil. He

has done commercial.” Another interviewee

Profiles Garguilo 381

said, “I believe he was an attorney for over 35

years before becoming a judge. He was a solo

practitioner. He handled a multitude of cases,

including but not limited to personal injury,

criminal, matrimonial, and other litigated

cases. He is a very fair and efficient judge,” the

attorney said. His background, according to

another attorney, “is a very good thing

because attorneys know him. They know he

practiced for a real long time. He is not in an

ivory tower. He was a working man. He was in

the trenches with the rest of us, so he does a

very good job because people realize that

nobody is going to blow anything past him. He

is good.” Another attorney said, “He tries to do

the right thing. He has the intelligence to do

the right thing. I give the guy a top rating.”

ONTRIAL

One interviewee said that in matrimonial

cases, Justice Garguilo tries to help the par-

ties avoid the stress and expense of trial. But

he “is obviously not afraid to conduct a trial

because as an attorney, he has tried many

cases himself and he is very, very familiar with

the rules of evidence and with how to judge a

case.” Another attorney who has watched

Justice Garguilo conduct a trial said, “He tries

a heck of a case. He is marvelous. He is a

master of evidence. He makes superb rulings

and things move smoothly, which is good.”

That attorney continued, “The awesome thing

about him is that here’s a guy who has not

forgotten his roots as a practicing attorney. He

has got a great deal of respect for the attor-

neys and is very accommodating because he

did it for so long.” He also has a plain-spoken

style and quickly sees through posturing in a

trial by either side, the attorney added. “One

of the nice things about him is that he’s the

kind of guy who can look at you and say, ‘Oh

come on, what is this really about,’” the attor-

ney explained. A third interviewee said Justice

Garguilo “is a very practical man. He moves

his cases.”

SETTLEMENTS

Justice Garguilo is good at settling cases,

“because he moves his cases along,” accord-

ing to one interviewee. “The way to get a case

settled is to move it along and not let a case

dawdle. If the case moves, it is likely to get

settled.” Another interviewee said, “He has the

creativity and insight to attempt to help the

attorneys fashion an appropriate settlement.

In matrimonial cases, he is also very fair and

judicious by speaking to the litigants, when

necessary, to help them settle their cases

without having to go to trial. Normally, what

he tries to do is to cajole the parties and to

talk to them and to give his insight into what

he thinks the law is to try to help them fash-

ion a settlement in their own divorce cases

themselves, because normally a settlement

done by the parties is more palatable to each

side and it also normally is in the best inter-

ests of their children.” A third interviewee,

asked whether Justice Garguilo is proactive

about settling cases, replied, “Yes, he works

on that. He will try to have the people be

understanding of each other, and see that

this is a dark part of their lives, but that there

is a better future, and that they should strive

towards resolving these issues for their mutu-

al benefit. He also advises them to listen to

their counsel-that’s why they are paying them

money-and to accept their advice and not do

things precipitously.”

ADJOURNMENTS/CONTINUANCES

Justice Garguilo is “reasonable” about

requests for adjournments, one interviewee

said. “He is fair. He is not arbitrary or capri-

cious. He doesn’t use form over substance.

He doesn’t say this is it, I have to get rid of

this case or I’ll look bad. None of that.”

Another interviewee agreed that Justice

Garguilo is “a gentleman” regarding schedul-

ing, and will not reject a reasonable request

out of spite. But his accommodating disposi-

tion clearly has limits, the interviewee went

on to say. “If the case is getting out of hand

and he thinks it’s going on too long, he has a

problem with adjournments, because he

wants to keep the case moving. So he is not

the easiest guy to get an adjournment from.”

PROCLIVITIES

Justice Garguilo is “a man of all sea-

sons,” said one interviewee, who also called

him a “man from the trenches who has sac-

rificed financially to be on the judiciary, and

it is to everybody’s credit that he has done

that. He is superlative.” Another interviewee

said, “He was a well-respected trial lawyer in

both civil and criminal practice.” A third

interviewee said, “I knew him as a defense

attorney” and as a past president of the

county bar association. “He was always a

good lawyer and nice person,” said the inter-

viewee, who added that “I hear only good

things” about how he is doing on the bench.

A fourth interviewee added, “All of us know

him, and we all had a great deal of respect

382 Garguilo New York Judge Reviews