June 14, 2010
When Milton Mollen graduated cum laude from St. John's
School of Law 60 years ago, his plans were the same as those of
many new attorneys. Joined by two of his fellow School of Law
graduates, he established a private practice and prepared to devote
his career to utilizing his talents in the name of justice, one
client at a time. A career in public service was the farthest thing
from his mind, but that was soon to change.
An attorney for whom Mollen had done special research as a student
had been named Corporation Counsel for the City of New York, and
offered him a position within that esteemed office. Mollen's
initial reaction was to remain in private practice, but he finally
decided to accept the position on a short-term basis. "I initially
agreed to take the position with the Corporation Counsel because I
thought it would be interesting to spend some time working for the
city," he recalled. "When my colleagues and friends asked me why I
would leave private practice, I told them that I was only going to
do it for two years to get some litigation experience that would
help me in my own practice. Little did I know that I would be in
public service for the next 42 years."
Mollen's more than four decades in pursuit of justice for the
people of New York began in 1952 with his appointment as
Assistant Corporation Counsel in the General Litigation Division,
after which he was promoted Acting Chief of the General Litigation
Division, then Chief of the Penalties Division and finally
Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel.
"Even though I wasn't planning to stay in public service, I started
to go up the ladder and kept getting promoted," he said. "I began
to enjoy having some great opportunities to do things that wouldn't
have been available to me otherwise."
In 1968 Mollen embarked upon a distinguished career in the
judiciary when he became a Judge of the Criminal Court. He later
served as Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York,
Associate Justice of the Appellate Division of the State Supreme
Court, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of the State
Supreme Court and Judge of the Court of Appeals. In 1990 he was
named Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Criminal Justice of the
City of New York.
When allegations of corruption within the New York City Police
Department were raised in 1992, Mollen was named Chairman of a
special commission to investigate the problem and make
recommendations for its elimination. After extensive investigation
and study it determined that the NYPD had undergone alternating
cycles of corruption and reform for many years. The Mollen
Commission believed that the creation of an independent commission
to monitor the anti-corruption activities of the Police Department,
and help keep the NYPD vigilant in this area, would help break
these cycles of corruption. Such a commission was established in
1995.
Mollen has received numerous honors and awards, including the
Brooklyn Medical Center Founders Medal, the New York State Bar
Association Award for Outstanding Judicial Contribution to the
Criminal Justice System, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the
Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York and the
Governor's Council on Law Enforcement Distinguished Service
Award.
Over the years, this distinguished jurist and devoted public
servant has remained grateful to the University for the education
and opportunities he received from alma mater. "I feel that I owe
St. John's a lot," he said "and I try to reciprocate in my own way
as much as I can."
He is a member of The Loughlin Society and serves as one of the
judges of the Judge Milton Mollen Moot Court Competition, an annual
event sponsored by the Moot Court Honor Society in which Honor
Society members from the School of Law have a chance to hone their
written and oral advocacy skills. St. John's University awarded him
a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, in 1978 and the School of
Law presented him with the James Madison Award in 1990 and the Dean
John J. Murphy Award in 1992. In May he was presented with the
Medal of Honor at the University's 29th Annual Alumni
Convocation.
"Life has been very good to me," he noted. "I've been very
fortunate in so many ways, and one of the most pleasant areas of my
life has been my connection to St. John's."