Modern Courts honor late Hon. Theodore T. Jones
Court reformers and New York’s legal community gathered at Bryant Park Grill Monday evening to celebrate the accomplishments of those dedicated to bringing an often arcane justice system into the modern age and to remember the legacy of the late New York State Court of Appeals Justice Theodore T. Jones.
“What a terrific supporter of the judiciary the Fund for Modern Court has been,” New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said of the hosting organization. The Fund for Modern Courts (the Fund), founded in 1955, is a private, nonpartisan organization created to improve the administration of justice in New York State. Its most recent effort has been to bring awareness to the lack of and need for additional family court judges.
At its annual award program, the Fund acknowledged E. Leo Milonas for his work on the bench as well as in the public and private sector. “Leo is unique,” said Lippman as he introduced his longtime friend and former colleague. Milonas received the John J. McCloy Memorial Award for his contributions to improving the administration of justice in New York. “Leo possesses the best of the legal profession; he understands the irony of the human condition,” Lippman observed. Milonas and Lippman enjoyed a long legal career as colleagues when Milonas, a former criminal judge, served as New York State Chief Administrative Judge before returning to private practice. During his time on the bench, Milonas was a part of notable court reform including the creation of Commercial Divisions for New York’s Supreme Courts. “Leo understood you had to fight for the public interest,” said Lippman. “Leo is a great court reformer, a giant of the profession, and he enjoys the practice of law.”