Justice Nicholas A. Clemente

Monticello, NY

Justice Nicholas A. Clemente J.D., LL.M., Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Judicial Hearing Officer, Professor, and Novelist, a resident of Monticello, NY, died Monday, May 4, 2009 in Harris, NY. He was 80. He was respected and loved by many.

Born February 2, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY, Justice Clemente served in the New York State Supreme Court for 21 years in Kings County (Brooklyn) and three and a half years in Sullivan County, NY. During his judicial career, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters and became known for his expertise in medical malpractice cases. After he retired from the bench in 2005 he continued to serve as a Judicial Hearing Officer in Sullivan County. His legal opinions were widely published in both Official Reports and the New York Law Journal.

Prior to serving on the bench, he was a partner in Golden, Clemente, and Garry P.C. and Clemente & Garry P.C., and served as Law Chairman for the Brooklyn Democratic Party and as an Alternate Delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Additionally, he taught Business Law at CUNY's Borough of Manhattan Community College and served in the New York Guard as Colonel. He also indulged a passion for history, literature and creative writing; his experience as an attorney and judge served as a backdrop for several of his novels, three of which have been published.

Justice Clemente earned his undergraduate degree in English and History from New York University and his J.D. from St. John's University. He also obtained an LL.M. from New York University School of Law, which he earned under the GI Bill after having served as a legal officer in the 101st Airborne Division during the Korean War.

Justice Clemente is survived by his wife, Ann Marie Clemente Esq.; their daughter, Claudia Marie and her husband, Daniel van Dongen; their son, Nicholas and his wife, Stacey Mayer, and two grandchildren, Julian and Sebastian. From his first marriage he is survived by three children and nine grandchildren: son, Laurence and his wife, Claudia, Mark and his wife, Anita, and Paul and his wife, Kathleen, and grandchildren: Philip, Laurence, Nicholas and Victoria; Daniel, Matthew and Marissa; and Laura Marie and Paul Jr. He is also survived by his sister, Mrs. Marie Mangione and her husband, Louis Mangione and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Dolores Clemente.

Services will be held at the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 401 Broadway, Monticello, NY on Saturday, May 9 at 11 a.m. Family and friends are invited to gather from 9 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

Donations in memory of Justice Clemente may be made to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization dedicated to the advocacy of abused and neglected children in the court system, at the following address: Sullivan County CASA Inc., 100 North St., Monticello NY 12701, Attn: Lillian Hendrickson.

Arrangements by VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home; 845-794-4141 or www.kennyfuneralhome.com.