Suffolk County District Administrative Judge Andrew A. Crecca is pleased to announce the appointment of the Hon. Thomas Whelan as Supervising Judge of the Suffolk County Supreme Court’s Civil Parts. The appointment was made by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas with the approval of Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson and upon consultation with the Hon. Hector D. LaSalle, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department.
Justice Whelan has served as a distinguished member of the Supreme Court since 2001 and he is presently the most senior judge in Suffolk County. In his 22-year tenure on the bench, Justice Whelan has presided over countless trials and proceedings in the Supreme Court, which included terms of service in the court’s Matrimonial, Civil, Complex Commercial, and Residential Foreclosure parts.
Over the course of his remarkable career on the bench, Justice Whelan developed a firm reputation as an efficient and fair-handed jurist to those litigants and attorneys who appeared before him. Prior to his election in 2001, Justice Whelan worked as a Principal Court Attorney and Law Clerk in the Supreme and County Courts, and he also served as the Town Attorney for the Town of Babylon.
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| Justice Whelan Rick Kopstein | NYLJ |
Additionally, Justice Whelan has authored and contributed to several legal publications. He is also a valued member of many professional and community organizations and he has been recognized for his devoted service with the Wading River Volunteer Fire Department.
According to District Administrative Judge Crecca, “Justice Whelan has been a well-respected member of our courts for decades. He has served the Suffolk County bench with great distinction during that long tenure and he boasts an impressive judicial record. Justice Whelan’s superior leadership skills and vast experience on the civil bench make him highly qualified for this management role. His extensive legal career is a testament to his dedication to public service and it shows that he has the commitment necessary to do an outstanding job as Supervising Judge.
I am confident that he will provide strong guidance to the Civil Parts and I look forward to seeing his continued successes.” Justice Whelan’s appointment took effect on August 31, 2023.