Hon. Samuel L. Green ’67
Hon. Samuel L. Green ’67 is an associate justice of the Appellate Division, 4th Department. He was the first African-American judge outside of New York City elected to a state judgeship. He then became the first African-American justice in the Appellate Division outside of New York City.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
May 3, 2007
Occasion
45th Annual Alumni Dinner
Interviewed By
Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden
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About the Hon. Samuel L. Green
UB was the only law school to which Justice Green applied, and he was elated when he was accepted. The West Eagle Street location was across the street from the courts, and in the mid-’60s, there were great trial lawyers and interesting cases he could learn from by observing.
After graduating in 1967, he went to work for Serotte & Serotte, a criminal defense law firm that became Serotte Hoffman Haley & Green. After six years of successful private practice, he accepted an appointment as a Buffalo City Court judge in 1973. Soon afterward, he was elected to the position.
In 1978, he ran for a seat on the New York State Supreme Court, where he served until Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1983 appointed him to the Appellate Division, 4th Department, which sits in Rochester.
Justice Green, an active leader in the Buffalo community, has served on the Appellate Division for 24 years.
He says there is one other African-American sitting on the Appellate Division, in the 1st Department, in New York City. Recently, the governor appointed an African-American judge to the Court of Appeals, in Albany, so there are now three.
What would he tell a law student today? “UB law school is a good law school with a great reputation. For the money that you pay, that is a real bargain.”