Hon. Leo F. McGinity
Justice McGinity was appointed to New York Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Department in Brooklyn in 1996, by Gov. George Pataki .He served on this Court until 2004. Before his appointment to the Appellate Division, he was appointed a Supervising Judge of Nassau County Criminal Courts in 1983 by Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke and Chief Administrative Judge Herbert B. Evans after being elected to Supreme Court Justice in Nassau County with bipartisan endorsement in 1982. In 1986 he was appointed Administrative Judge for all the Courts in Nassau County by Chief Judge Sol Wachtler and served in that post until 1996. Prior to that Judge McGinity had been elected Judge of Nassau County Court with bipartisan endorsement in November 1976, following Governor Carey’s appointment in June 1976. Prior to his judgeships, The Honorable Leo F. McGinity served as Councilman for the Town of Hempstead from 1969 until June 1976.
He was awarded by the Criminal Court Bar Association the Norman F. Lent Memorial Award, Man of the Year by The Nassau Lawyers, and Judge of the Year from COBANC (Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County). Justice McGinity is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, Nassau County Criminal Courts Bar Association (which he served as President in 1963), charter member of Nassau County Crime Council, the National Conference of State Tax Judges and serves as a Master with the Matrimonial Inns of Court.
Since his retirement from the Appellate Division in December 2003, Justice McGinity returned to private practice and to practicing alternative dispute resolution, as both a mediator and arbitrator. He has concentrated his ADR practice on resolution of tort, insurance and matrimonial disputes and serving as an arbitrator in family and business disagreements.
By way of background, Justice McGinity enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1945 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He was graduated from St. Francis Xavier High School in Manhattan, attended Georgetown University from which he graduated with a B.A. Degree, and subsequently, received his L.L.B. from New York School.
Justice McGinity’s civic memberships include: the Board of Sponsors of Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre; Daniel J. Bradley Council-Knights of Columbus (served as Past Grand Knight in 1968); Ancient Order of Hibernians; Catholic Lawyers Guild; and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick-Long Island (charter member and founding President 1984-85). He also is a parishioner of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in Roosevelt and served as a confraternity teacher for the confirmation class for many years.