Remembering Judge Hugh R. Jones.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 22 September 2001
• Author: Abrams, Douglas E.

When Judge Hugh R. Jones died March 3, 2001, at the age of eighty-six, New York lost an "intellectual giant" devoted to lifelong public service. (1) His eight law clerks lost a mentor, role model, and friend. We clerks were proud to have our careers linked with his--not only because he taught us so much, but also because his luster made us look so good. As Judge Jones approached mandatory retirement age in 1984 after twelve years on the New York Court of Appeals, the New York Times called him the "intellectual leader of the court." (2) Herald Price Fahringer lauded the Judge's "unbeatable intellectual prowess" and called him "a man of letters" who "provided ... a new standard of intellect in the art of decision making." (3) Judge Matthew J. Jasen praised his colleague's "creative talent and unusual energy," (4) and his "comprehensive knowledge of the law, ... vigorous precision and ... abiding fidelity to the judicial role." (5) Speaking about the Court, former Chief Judge Charles D. Breitel was more direct. Judge Jones, he said, was "one of the best minds we've ever had." (6)

Judge Jones's clerks had the good fortune to tap the mind that produced this chorus of public praise. Above everything else, however, a Hugh R. Jones clerkship taught that to be a good lawyer, one must first be a good person. Whenever someone walked into the Judge's office while...