Senate Resolution No. 584

BY: Senator PARKER

MOURNING the death of The Honorable Paul G.
Feinman, former New York Court of Appeals Judge,
distinguished citizen and devoted member of his
community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to publicly mourn
the death of prominent citizens of the State of New York whose lifework
and civic endeavor served to enhance the reputation of the State; and

WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman of Roosevelt Island, New York City,
died on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at the age of 61; and

WHEREAS, Paul G. Feinman was born on January 26, 1960, in Hempstead,
New York, the third of five children; he was raised in Merrick, New
York, where he attended public schools; and

WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman graduated from Columbia College,
Columbia University (A.B. 1981) and the University of Minnesota Law
School (J.D. 1985), attending both on scholarship; he also studied at
the Universite de Paris VII (Jussieu), the Universite de Paris II
(Assas) and the Universite de Lyon III; and

WHEREAS, He began his illustrious legal career as a Staff Attorney
for the Appeals Bureau of the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County and
then worked for the Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division in
Manhattan; and

WHEREAS, From 1989 to 1996, he clerked for Justice Angela M.
Mazzarelli in the Supreme Court, Criminal and Civil Branches, and in the
Appellate Division, First Department; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1996, Judge Paul G. Feinman was elected to
the Civil Court of the City of New York; he was then re-elected in 2006;
and

WHEREAS, From 1997-2001, Judge Paul G. Feinman was assigned to the
Criminal Court; in 2004, he was designated an Acting Supreme Court
Justice, and elected a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2007; and

WHEREAS, In October of 2021, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo appointed him
to the Appellate Division, First Department, before nominating him to
the Court of Appeals on June 16, 2017; the New York State Senate
unanimously confirmed his nomination on June 21, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman was the first openly gay member of
the New York State's highest court; and

WHEREAS, Previously, Judge Paul G. Feinman served as President of
the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York, Inc.
(2013), President of the International Association of LGBT Judges
(2008-2011), Presiding Member of the Judicial Section of the New York
State Bar Association (2012-2013), and President of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar
of Greater New York (1996); and


WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman is survived by his husband, Jay
Robert Ostergaard, whom he married in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman's career mirrored an unyielding
commitment to the importance of law, to those privileges of justice and
human dignity so definitive of our American manner; and

WHEREAS, Judge Paul G. Feinman, who displayed many unique qualities,
lived an immensely beautiful life built on compassion, kindness, and
respect for both the position he held and for others; he will be truly
missed by all those who had the privilege and honor of knowing him; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of The Honorable Paul G. Feinman, and to express its
deepest condolences to his family; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of The Honorable Paul G. Feinman.