Richard C. Wesley

Professional career

• Wesley began his legal career in private practice, first with Harris Beach in Rochester and later as a partner at Welch, Streb & Porter in Geneseo. From 1979 to 1982, he held the role of assistant counsel and chief legislative aide to New York Assembly Minority Leader James L. Emery. In 1982, Wesley was elected as a Republican to represent New York's 136th Assembly District and was reelected in 1984, serving on the Codes and Environmental Conservation Committees.
• Associate judge, New York State Court of Appeals, 1997-2003
• legis, 1996-1996
• Practitioner, 1996-1996
• Associate justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, 1994-1996
• Justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Seventh Judicial District, 1987-1994
• State assemblyman, New York, 1983-1987
• Assistant minority counsel, New York State Assembly, 1979-1982
• Private practice, Geneseo, NY, 1976-1987
• Private practice, Pittsford, NY, 1974-1976

Judicial service

• Judge, 1996-1996
• Judge, New York Court of Appeals, 1997-2003
• Judge, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2003-present
• Judge, 2004-2004
• Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• On March 5, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wesley to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, filling the seat vacated by Judge Pierre N. Leval. His nomination was supported by both Democratic and Republican senators, including Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, and he was confirmed by a 96–0 Senate vote on June 11, 2003. Wesley received his commission on June 12, 2003, and was sworn in on July 21, 2003. He assumed senior status on August 1, 2016.
• In 1986, Wesley was elected to a 14-year term as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in the Seventh Judicial District, headquartered in Rochester. He implemented significant administrative reforms, including the Trial Assistance Part to reduce case backlogs and a felony-screening program that cut processing delays by over 60 percent, later adopted statewide. He also created the JUST Program to monitor pre-plea and pre-sentence defendants and provide alternatives to incarceration. In 1994, Governor Mario Cuomo appointed him to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and in 1997, Governor George Pataki appointed him to the New York Court of Appeals, where he served until 2003. Wesley was recognized for his thoughtful, scholarly approach and ability to build consensus among colleagues.

Education

• Cornell University · JD
• State University of New York at Albany

Personal record

Born August 1949 · Canandaigua, NY