New York State Bar Association Mourns Passing of Former State Court of Appeals Judge Richard Simons

New York State Bar Association Mourns Passing of Former State Court of Appeals Judge Richard Simons

7.20.2022

By Susan DeSantis

The New York State Bar Association is mourning the passing of former Associate Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals Judge Richard Simons.

“Judge Simons was a pillar of the legal profession,” said Sherry Levin Wallach, president of the New York State Bar Association. “He advocated for the need for a strong and independent judiciary, upheld the rule of law, and provided steady and determined leadership to the courts. He personified everything one would want in a high court judge: brilliance, fairness, imagination and ingenuity. His long and distinguished record of public and professional service is as an inspiration to all members of the bar. We are indebted for his many contributions to the practice of law. He will be missed.”

Judge Simons received the New York State Bar Association’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2000. He formerly chaired the association’s Task Force on Court Reorganization and was a member of the Committee to Review Judicial Nominations and the Committee on Court Structure and Operations.

Simons served on the Court of Appeals from 1983 until his mandatory retirement in 1997. Before that, he was an associate justice of the Third and Fourth departments of the Appellate Division. He began his judicial career as a justice of the Supreme Court for Oneida County.

About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated, and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.

###