John F. Scileppi
Encyclopedia
John Francis Scileppi was an American lawyer and politician.
, and LL.B. from Fordham University School of Law
in 1925. He was admitted to the bar in 1926. On January 30, 1929, he married Katherine I. Shea, and they had three children. He was Chief Deputy Clerk of Queens County from 1938 to 1939.
In 1939, he was elected to the Municipal Court of Queens County, and re-elected in 1949. In 1951, he was elected to the County Court of Queens County, and was designated to the New York Supreme Court
.
In 1962, he was elected on the Democratic and Liberal
tickets to the New York Court of Appeals
. In 1963, he was the author of a controversial opinion that banned the sale in New York State of Tropic of Cancer
, a novel by Henry Miller
, on the ground that it was pornographic. Calling it "dirt for dirt's sake," he wrote that the book was "devoid of theme or idea" and that it contained "a constant repetition of patently offensive words used solely to convey debasing portrayals of natural and unnatural sexual experience." The United States Supreme Court later ruled that the book could not be banned.
He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1967. He retired from the Court of Appeals at the end of 1972 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years, and returned to the Supreme Court, at Riverhead, Long Island, as a certificated trial justice until 1976. Here he ruled in 1976 that a woman named Ellen Cooperman did not have the right to change her name to "Cooperperson." Saying that granting the request "would have serious repercussions perhaps throughout the entire country," the judge cited what he called "virtually endless and increasingly inane" possibilities, such as someone named "Jackson" seeking to become "Jackchild" or a woman named "Carmen" wanting to be "Carperson."
He died from a heart attack at the University Hospital in Stony Brook, Long Island
, and was buried at the churchyard of St. James Roman Catholic Church in Setauket.
Life
He was the son of Ignatius Scileppi and Nunzia Scileppi. He graduated from Newtown High SchoolNewtown High School (New York City)
Newtown High School is a high school in Elmhurst, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. Its multinational student body consists of approximately 4,030 students, mostly Spanish-speaking. Newtown High School celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2007...
, and LL.B. from Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law is a part of Fordham University in the United States. The School is located in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city.-Overview:According to the U.S. News & World Report, 1,516 J.D. students attend...
in 1925. He was admitted to the bar in 1926. On January 30, 1929, he married Katherine I. Shea, and they had three children. He was Chief Deputy Clerk of Queens County from 1938 to 1939.
In 1939, he was elected to the Municipal Court of Queens County, and re-elected in 1949. In 1951, he was elected to the County Court of Queens County, and was designated to the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
.
In 1962, he was elected on the Democratic and Liberal
Liberal Party of New York
The Liberal Party of New York is a minor American political party that has been active only in the state of New York. Its platform supports a standard set of social liberal policies: it supports right to abortion, increased spending on education, and universal health care.As of 2007, the Liberal...
tickets to the New York Court of Appeals
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
. In 1963, he was the author of a controversial opinion that banned the sale in New York State of Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer (novel)
Tropic of Cancer is a novel by Henry Miller which has been described as "notorious for its candid sexuality" and as responsible for the "free speech that we now take for granted in literature." It was first published in 1934 by the Obelisk Press in Paris, France, but this edition was banned in the...
, a novel by Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
, on the ground that it was pornographic. Calling it "dirt for dirt's sake," he wrote that the book was "devoid of theme or idea" and that it contained "a constant repetition of patently offensive words used solely to convey debasing portrayals of natural and unnatural sexual experience." The United States Supreme Court later ruled that the book could not be banned.
He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1967. He retired from the Court of Appeals at the end of 1972 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years, and returned to the Supreme Court, at Riverhead, Long Island, as a certificated trial justice until 1976. Here he ruled in 1976 that a woman named Ellen Cooperman did not have the right to change her name to "Cooperperson." Saying that granting the request "would have serious repercussions perhaps throughout the entire country," the judge cited what he called "virtually endless and increasingly inane" possibilities, such as someone named "Jackson" seeking to become "Jackchild" or a woman named "Carmen" wanting to be "Carperson."
He died from a heart attack at the University Hospital in Stony Brook, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and was buried at the churchyard of St. James Roman Catholic Church in Setauket.
Sources
- The History of the New York Court of Appeals, 1932–2003 by Bernard S. MeyerBernard S. MeyerBernard Stern Meyer was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:...
, Burton C. Agata & Seth H. Agata (page 25) - http://www.courts.state.ny.us/history/elecbook/thereshallbe/pg100.htm Court of Appeals judges
- Ex-Judge John F. Scileppi, Author Of Opinion Banning Miller Novel Obit in NYT on November 28, 1987