Law School Mourns Passing of Paul Feinman ’85, N.Y. Court of Appeals Judge
Paul Feinman ‘85, the first openly LGBT judge to serve on New York's highest court, has died.
Feinman, 61, had a judicial career that spanned 25 years before stepping down from the New York Court of Appeals on March 23, 2021, due to his health. Before joining the N.Y Court of Appeals bench in 2017, Feinman sat on the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court’s First Department in Manhattan.
“Judge Feinman lived a great life in service, starting as a legal aid lawyer followed by 25 years in the judiciary and concluding with his historic appointment to the New York Court of Appeals. He will long be remembered as a brilliant jurist and a legal pioneer. As the first openly LGBTQ judge on New York’s highest court, he broke barriers and opened doors of opportunity,” said Garry W. Jenkins, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law.
“A deeply dedicated advocate of the Law School, Judge Feinman hired and mentored our students, frequently spoke at events, and loved Minnesota Law gatherings, especially the chance to recruit prospective students by telling his story of how Minnesota Law changed his life,” Jenkins continued. “He was as loyal a friend as the Law School has ever had. We were enormously fortunate to have his friendship, support, and engagement.”
New York Governor Andrew M Cuomo extolled Feinman as “a lifelong champion of fairness, progress, equality, and justice.”
In a statement announcing his passing, New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore observed, "Judge Feinman served with excellence at every level of our judiciary, and his broad experience, knowledge and wisdom earned him the respect and warm personal regard of his judicial colleagues.”
Before taking the bench, Feinman served as the principal court attorney to Judge Angela M. Mazzarelli in New York’s Appellate Division and as a staff attorney for The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division, in New York County. He began his legal career as a staff attorney for the Appeals Bureau of the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, Long Island.
Feinman graduated from the Law School in 1985, having previously earned his undergraduate degree in French literature from Columbia University in 1981.
Feinman was one of the principal speakers at the Law School's 6th annual MLK Convocation, “Breaking the Dam Against Social Progress,” last January. There are many ways to change society with a legal education, Feinman observed at that event. “Everyone can do something. You can’t do it all but you can do something.”
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