February 14, 2007
On February 13, 2007, St. John’s School of Law graduate Theodore
T. Jones, Jr. (‘72L), was sworn in as the newest judge on New York
State's highest court, the Court of Appeals. Judge Jones was
nominated to the Court of Appeals by Governor Eliot L. Spitzer
shortly after Governor Spitzer took office, and was confirmed by
the New York State Senate on February 12, 2007.
“The St. John’s Law School community takes great pride in Judge
Jones' appointment to the Court of Appeals. He joins the ranks of
other distinguished alumni who have devoted their careers to public
service. The Law School looks forward to continuing to educate the
next generation of outstanding public servants,” said Dean Mary C.
Daly.
Judge Jones is the fourth School of Law graduate to serve on the
state’s high court, including current Court of Appeals Judge Carmen
Beauchamp Ciparick, former School of Law Dean Joseph W. Bellacosa,
and the late Vito J. Titone.
Judge Jones, 62, was elected to the State Supreme Court in
Brooklyn in 1989 and re-elected in 2003, eventually serving as
administrative judge of the court’s civil term. Among the
more prominent cases Jones handled were those involving the
three-day New York City transit strike in 2005. Defying an
injunction issued by Jones, Local 100 of the Transport Workers
Union shut down the city’s subways and buses for 60 hours.
Jones fined the union $2.5 million for violating the Taylor Law,
which prohibits public employees from striking, and sentenced its
president, Roger Toussaint, to 10 days in jail for contempt of
court.
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Director of Media
Relations at St. John’s University by calling (718) 990-6185 or
e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.