LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Justice Thomas E. Mercure upon the
occasion of his retirement after more than four decades of dedicated
service as Appellate Court Judge, Third Department of New York State
Supreme Court

WHEREAS, The quality and character of life in this Nation, and the great
State of New York, is reflective of the purposeful lives and good works
of those patriotic and civic-minded community members who dedicate their
lives and careers to the service of others; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Justice Thomas E. Mercure upon the occasion of his retirement after more
than four decades of dedicated service as Appellate Court Judge, Third
Department, of New York State Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Thomas E. Mercure, the longest serving Appellate Court Judge
in the history of the Third Department, retired from the bench on Satur-
day, March 1, 2014; and
WHEREAS, For more than 25 years, Justice Thomas E. Mercure served as
an Associate Justice on the Appellate Division, Third Department, of
State Supreme Court; he has been a State Supreme Court Justice for more
than 32 years; and
WHEREAS, The Third Department encompasses 28 counties in the three
judicial districts from the Canadian border to the lower Catskills, and
from the Vermont and Massachusetts borders to the Finger Lakes; and
WHEREAS, Justice Thomas E. Mercure, in every capacity in which he
served, has left his permanent mark on the criminal justice community,
and will forever be remembered as a determined, innovative, and genuine-
ly concerned expert in his field; and
WHEREAS, A Washington County resident, Justice Thomas E. Mercure of
Hudson Falls, New York, began his judicial career in 1981, when he
became the youngest County Court Judge in New York State; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center,
Justice Thomas E. Mercure began practicing law in Fort Edward, Washing-
ton County, in 1969; and
WHEREAS, Between 1973 and 1976, he served as both Washington County
Assistant District Attorney, and District Attorney, the post he held
until being elected Washington County Judge; he was subsequently elected
to three, 14-year terms on the State Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Justice Thomas E. Mercure was the Senior Associate Justice on
the Appellate Division until 2013, when he was asked to assume the
responsibilities of Administrative Judge of the Third Judicial District,
overseeing courts in seven counties, 53 judges, and more than 400
employees; during this position, he heard more than 21,000 appeals
cases, and wrote more than 3,000 signed opinions; and
WHEREAS, In 1994 and 2011, Justice Thomas E. Mercure was invited to
sit on New York State's highest court, the Court of Appeals, for two
cases, including one related to the World Trade Center terrorism; he
also served as the Acting Presiding Justice for the Appellate Division,
Third Department, in 2011 and 2012; and
WHEREAS, In 1991, Justice Thomas E. Mercure was named to the Committee
of Pattern Jury Instructions and was one of the several Supreme Court
Justices tasked with developing jury-instructions for use in all civil
trials across the State; and
WHEREAS, Earning an exceptional reputation as a jurist over the years,
in 2003, Justice Thomas E. Mercure was invited to join the New York
State Federal-State Judicial Council as one of five state judges meeting
regularly with five federal judges to help facilitate dispositions of

cases that may involve either court system; that same year, he was also
asked to sit as a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics;
and
WHEREAS, The Commission on Judicial Nominations deemed Justice Thomas
E. Mercure "well-qualified" for a seat on the State Court of Appeals
and nominated him to join the State's highest court in 2006 and 2007;
and
WHEREAS, As a member of the Ethics Commission for the Unified Court
System, Justice Thomas E. Mercure spent more than a decade, including
seven years as chairman, working to ensure all full-time judges and
high-level court officials across the state abided by strict ethical
standards; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife, Terry, and their five
children, as well as 11 grandchildren, all of whom feel privileged to be
a part of his life and rejoice in his achievements; and
WHEREAS, A singular asset to all of the citizens he has served in the
community of the State of New York, Justice Thomas E. Mercure's life and
career are a portrait of preeminence in public service, and present a
role model for all who aspire to a career in public service; and
WHEREAS, From time to time, this Legislative Body takes note of
certain extraordinary individuals it wishes to recognize for their
valued contributions to the success and progress of society and publicly
acknowledge their endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among
us all; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Justice Thomas E. Mercure upon the occasion of his retirement
after more than four decades of dedicated service as Appellate Court
Judge, Third Department, of the New York State Supreme Court; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Justice Thomas E. Mercure.