Hon. Joseph D. Mintz ’56

Joseph Mintz.

Hon. Joseph D. Mintz ’56 was a State Supreme Court justice until he stepped down in 2009. In 1958 he founded the Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society of Erie County, which became a model for similar programs throughout the state and nation.

About this Interview

Interview Date(s)

May 4, 2011

Occasion

UB Law Alumni Association Annual Dinner

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About the Hon. Joseph D. Mintz

Born in Buffalo, Joseph Mintz was the oldest of three children and was a 1951 graduate of Bennett High School. He earned his undergraduate degree and his J.D. degree in five years at UB. The law school was then located at 77 W. Eagle St. He was a member of the Buffalo Law Review.

The best decision of his life was going to law school, and he is proud to be a member of the “legendary Class of 1956.” His classmates and close friends included legal luminaries such as Harold Boreanaz, Herald P. Fahringer Jr., Vincent Doyle, Robert M. Murphy and Joseph Mattina.

Soon after graduation, he opened a private practice and began working for a new public defender program launched by Legal Aid of Buffalo. The Erie County Bar Association then decided to set up a program to provide assigned counsel for indigent prisoners. The program soon made its way into state law. He served as administrator for the Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society of Erie County for 20 years.

He was elected as a Republican to State Supreme Court in 1978 and served for 31 years. He presided over medical malpractice cases in Erie County as well as high-profile cases.

Judge Mintz said his career path in criminal law was an accident. “I was interested in criminal law, but the specialty you arrive at in law is an accident.” That he was a public defender, an administrator who led the assigned counsel system, and a criminal defense lawyer had little influence on his becoming an elected Supreme Court judge, he said.

Judge Mintz received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for the Judiciary in 1997.

Born May 9, 1933—Died July 30, 2022

Explore the Class of 1956

  • Ross M. Cellino, Sr. ’56
    12/1/25
    Ross M. Cellino Sr. ’56 founded the law firm that became Cellino & Barnes, one of the largest personal injury firms in the nation.
  • Herald P. Fahringer ’56
    12/6/25
    Herald P. Fahringer ’56 was a celebrated New York City-based attorney who believed in the importance of individual rights. He focused his practice on white-collar criminal defense and First Amendment issues, taking 14 high-profile, controversial cases to the U.S. Supreme Court and losing only once.
  • Hon. Joseph D. Mintz ’56
    12/1/25
    Hon. Joseph D. Mintz ’56 was a State Supreme Court justice until he stepped down in 2009. In 1958 he founded the Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society of Erie County, which became a model for similar programs throughout the state and nation.
  • Hon. Vincent E. Doyle ’56 - Edwin F. Jaeckle Award 2000
    1/15/26
    Hon. Vincent E. Doyle ’56, State Supreme Court judge and administrative judge for the Eighth Judicial District, was recognized with the 25 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow. He has provided exceptional leadership and made significant improvements in the judicial system.