Appointed By: Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer
The Hon. E. Michael Kavanagh (Ret.) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, 3rd Judicial Department. He was appointed to the seat by former Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2008. Kavanagh retired in 2012.
Prior to his appointment, he was an associate justice of the Appellate Division’s 1st Department since his appointment by former Governor George Pataki in 2006. Kavanagh began his judicial career as an elected justice of the New York State Supreme Court in the 3rd Judicial District in 1998. Before his election, he spent twenty years as the district attorney for the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office (1978 to 1998). Kavanagh began with the office as chief assistant district attorney in 1974.
He received a B.A. from Merrimack College in 1965. Kavanagh then completed a J.D. at Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law, in 1968.
He went on to serve in the United States Army until his honorable discharge in 1970.
Kavanagh began his legal career as an associate at Munley & Mead in Great Neck in 1968 before entering the public sector in 1970. At that time, he became an assistant district attorney with the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked for four years before becoming a prosecutor in Ulster Count in 1974.
In 1986, Kavanagh made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York and was later nominated to a federal judgeship by former President George H.W. Bush, though his nomination was not acted upon by the United States Senate.
He also taught as an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz.
Kavanagh was the 3rd Judicial District representative to the New York State Litigation Coordination Panel and served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, the New York State Bar Association’s District Jury Advisory Committee, and the New York State Unified Court System’s Drug Advisory Committee.
After retiring from the bench, Kavanagh joined Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello as of counsel before entering mediation and arbitration practice. He was also retained in 2013 to serve as a legal consultant by the United States Agency for International Development, and he spoke on appellate practice and ADR matters as a panelist at a forum held in the Republic of Macedonia.
He was born in Lawrence, New York. Kavanagh and his wife, Marilyn, have two children. The couple resides in Woodstock.
| Current Appointment Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (3rd Judicial Department) | Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (3rd Judicial Department) |
| Previous Appointment Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (1st Judicial Department) | Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (1st Judicial Department) |
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Education
J.D., Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law - 1968 B.A., Merrimack College - 1965 |
J.D., Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law - 1968 B.A., Merrimack College - 1965 |
| Current Court: | NY - Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (3rd Judicial Department) |
|---|---|
| Previous Court: | NY - Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division (1st Judicial Department) |
| Role | Employer | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Associate | Munley & Meade | Nassau County, New York |
| Of Counsel | Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello, LLP | None |
| Mediator and Arbitrator | National Arbitration and Mediation | None |
| Justice | 3rd Judicial District Supreme Court of New York | None |
| Assistant District Attorney | Office of the New York County District Attorney | New York County, New York |
| Chief Assistant District Attorney | Office of the Ulster County District Attorney | Ulster County, New York |
| District Attorney | Office of the Ulster County District Attorney | Ulster County, New York |
| Associate Justice | Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, 1st Judicial Department | New York County, New York |
| Associate Justice | Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, 3rd Judicial Department | Albany County, New York |
National Arbitration and Mediation: Hon. E. Michael Kavanagh
Historical Society of the New York Courts: E. Michael Kavanagh
Ballotpedia: Michael Kavanagh
New York State Unified Court System: E. Michael Kavanagh Biography
Daily Freeman: NY Supreme Court Justice Michael Kavanagh Says After Loss that His 'Political Days are Done'
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