Hon. John J. Ark ’72
Hon. John J. Ark ’72 was a justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Seventh Judicial District, in Rochester, who presided primarily over toxic torts and divorce cases.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
July 31, 2012
May 2021
Occasion
Recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for the Judiciary at the 58th Annual Alumni Dinner
Interviewed By
Aaron Saykin
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About the Hon. John J. Ark
During his time on the bench, Judge John Ark presided over all the court’s toxic torts cases. He also served as supervising judge of the 7th Judicial District’s matrimonial part, where he oversaw the disposition of nearly 10,000 divorce cases.
Judge Ark lives in Brighton, N.Y. He attended Bucknell University. His father was a lawyer and a State Supreme Court judge. He and his father were the first father and son Supreme Court judges in the 7th Judicial District. He was always exposed to lawyers and judges, and has direct recollection of members of the judiciary that goes back 80, 90, 100 years.
He initially attended Syracuse University School of Law for a year, but finished at UB with degrees in law and accounting. While a law student, he was managing editor of the Buffalo Law Review. UB Law taught him how to write. As a judge, when he writes decisions, he is motivated by remembering what an upperclassman might critique.
In September 1969, he remembers going to Cole’s on Elmwood Avenue and hearing someone making a comment about his date. It was O.J. Simpson, who had just started with the Buffalo Bills after winning the Heisman Trophy. Ark said he spent the next three years in Buffalo and the next 45 years in court. So did Simpson. “Buffalo is big enough to have major teams and small enough to get tickets to the games and drive to the stadium in a reasonable amount of time,” Ark said.
After he took the bar, he started working for Harris Beach in its tax department. After a stint as an assistant district attorney for Monroe County, he started his own firm. At age 31, he ran—and lost—an election for district attorney, but then won a town judge position. He then ran successfully for Supreme Court in 1993: with young children, the stability of a 14-year term was appealing. He won a second term in 2007.
It will be 26 years on the Supreme Court if he retires at 76, and 40 years on the bench.
His advice to young lawyers: ICE, which stands for integrity, curiosity and energy. Energy = effort. Integrity is critical for a lawyer; reputation is important. You can fulfill your interest in being curious.
