Luis A. Gonzalez (judge)
Encyclopedia
Luis A. Gonzalez is the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department
.
, Puerto Rico
and raised in Hell's Kitchen
in a family of seven.
His father had been a carpenter in Puerto Rico and worked in a candy factory in New York. His mother was a homemaker. He is a 1968 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University
and a 1975 graduate of Columbia Law School
.
as Housing Court Judge from 1985 to 1986 and a Civil Court Judge from 1987 to 1992. He was a New York Supreme Court Justice, 12th Judicial District
, from 1992 to 2002. He was designated a Justice for the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department by Governor George E. Pataki in 2002 and Presiding Justice of that court in 2009 by Governor David Paterson
. He was the first person of Puerto Rican descent to hold the position of Presiding Justice. On March 27, 2011 the New York Post revealed that Justice Gonzalez is allegedly involved in tax evasion as well as extreme nepotism in the Appellate Division First Department.
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department is headquartered in Manhattan.-Jurisdiction:The Appellate Division holds jurisdiction over the Counties of New York and the Bronx...
.
Early life and education
He was born in MantiManti
Mantu are a type of dumpling in Turkish and various Central Asian and Northwest China and Caucasian cuisines, closely related to the east Asian mantou, baozi, and mandu and the Nepali momo. Manti dumplings archetypically consist of a spiced meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef, in a dough...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and raised in Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
in a family of seven.
His father had been a carpenter in Puerto Rico and worked in a candy factory in New York. His mother was a homemaker. He is a 1968 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University is a private liberal arts university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. Its main campus is on the edge of the small city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, about three miles from state-owned...
and a 1975 graduate of Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
.
Legal career
He was General Counsel for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1978 to 1980. He served on the New York City Civil CourtNew York City Civil Court
The New York City Civil Court is a court hearing civil cases within New York City. By volume, it is the largest civil jurisdiction court in the United States, and handles about 25% of the total filings of the entire New York state court system.-Jurisdiction:...
as Housing Court Judge from 1985 to 1986 and a Civil Court Judge from 1987 to 1992. He was a New York Supreme Court Justice, 12th Judicial District
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...
, from 1992 to 2002. He was designated a Justice for the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department by Governor George E. Pataki in 2002 and Presiding Justice of that court in 2009 by Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
. He was the first person of Puerto Rican descent to hold the position of Presiding Justice. On March 27, 2011 the New York Post revealed that Justice Gonzalez is allegedly involved in tax evasion as well as extreme nepotism in the Appellate Division First Department.