Remembering Judge Hugh R. Jones: a professional and personal inspiration.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 22 September 2001
• Author: Krouner, Leonard W.

In January 1973 Hugh R. Jones began his tenure as an Associate Judge on the New York Court of Appeals and accorded me the honor and privilege of serving as his first law clerk. Professor Robert J. Rabin of the Syracuse University College of Law served as "correspondent" law clerk and Martha Wilmot as the judge's secretary, traveling between Albany and Utica--through his December 1984 term--to meet the stenographic and clerical demands of the Court's work in two locations.

With no judicial experience before 1973, the immediate challenge Judge Jones faced deciding appeals and motions in civil and criminal matters (of statewide and often national significance) was daunting.

Judge Jones's pre-judicial background as New York State Bar President, State University of New York Trustee, State Social Welfare Board Chairman, Episcopal Diocese of Central New York Chancellor, and New York State Select Committee on Correctional Institutions and Programs Chairman required organizational and human relations skills...