Hon. Michael A. Telesca ’55 (Jaeckle Award 2006)
Hon. Michael A. Telesca ’55 was a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, he served until 2020. He was its chief judge from 1989 to 1995. He received the 31st Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor bestowed by the University at Buffalo School of Law and the Law Alumni Association.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
- Nov. 18, 2006
- May 23, 2012
Occasion
- Presentation of the 31st annual Edwin F. Jaeckle Award following the Alumni Convocation
- Harry A. Rachlin ’26 Oral History Project
Place
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Buffalo
Interviewed By
Laura A. Meyers (2012)
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About the Hon. Michael A. Telesca
Justice Telesca was a lifelong resident of Rochester, N.Y. His parents were illiterate immigrants. He was the youngest of five children and the first to finish high school, college and law school. His mother was a seamstress and his father worked as a presser in a clothing factory. Born in the month following the Wall Street Crash of 1929, he grew up poor and lived off welfare, embarrassed by the charity his family needed to survive.
Justice Telesca graduated from high school after World War II, then earned a BA degree from the University of Rochester. In 1952, he entered UB law school. Most students were World War II or Korean War veterans, and he felt a strong camaraderie. He married during his second year and worked while a student to meet his living expenses.
The law school was in downtown Buffalo on Eagle Street. It was a new building and the classrooms were nice. Each year his classes would thin out and students would leave the law program. He graduated with 65 to 70 students. He had a wonderful experience. Classes were small and relationships with professors were easy to develop. Students would gather in the basement, and there was a strong connection among peers; however, there was not much socializing because most had a job and were commuters.
After graduation in 1955, he spent two years on active duty as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was in private practice in Rochester from 1957 to 1972. He was a judge of the Surrogate Court in Monroe County, N.Y., from 1973 to 1982. He considers that election his greatest professional achievement.
Another high point was the day in 1982 when President Reagan called to offer him a position as a federal court judge in Western New York. He was never quizzed on controversial social topics before getting the job. Being the only federal judge in Rochester (for five years) was quite a rewarding experience.
He was happy to expand his internships with Buffalo law students; he took interns year round. He had them work on meaningful cases and took satisfaction in helping them jump start their law careers.
Born Nov. 25, 1929—Died March 5, 2002
About the Hon. Michael A. Telesca
Hon. Michael A. Telesca’s career on the bench has encompassed county, state and federal judgeships. Appointed a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of New York in 1982, he was chief justice of that court from 1989 to 1996. He continues as a District Court judge, based in Rochester, and in 1996 was appointed to the federal Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
His best-known decision on the federal bench came in 2000, in a case following the 1971 inmate uprising at Attica State Prison. Judge Telesca approved a settlement under which New York State would pay $8 million to inmates who were abused by law enforcers during the uprising.
His legal philosophy might best be summed up with these words from his keynote address at UB Law’s 1997 Commencement ceremony: “Change in society does not come about simply with rhetoric and poetry. You must know how to get the job done. The law degree is not a blank check, but a license to serve. Taking cases pro bono is your affirmation that the Constitution works. Do not ever take your eyes off the Bill of Rights.”
Born and raised in Rochester, Judge Telesca graduated from the University of Rochester in 1952. He served as a staff legal officer in the U.S. Marine Corps after his years at UB Law. He entered private practice, eventually becoming a partner with the Rochester firm Lamb, Webster, Walz & Telesca. He was elected a Monroe County Surrogate Court judge in 1972 and was then a justice of the New York State Supreme Court for 10 years.
At UB, Judge Telesca was honored in 1986 with a Distinguished Alumnus Award for his judicial work, and in 2001 with a Buffalo Law Review award recognizing his service to the law school and the Western New York community.
Speakers
Master of Ceremonies: Dennis R. McCoy, UB Law Alumni Association president.
Remarks presented by Alan S. Carrel, UB School of Law vice dean; Hon. Richard J. Arcara, chief judge of the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; William R. Greiner, UB president emeritus and professor.
Professor Greiner presented the Jaeckle Award.
Justice Telesca offered acceptance remarks.
About the Jaeckle Award
The Jaeckle Award is given annually to a person who exemplifies the highest ideals of UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association and has made significant contributions to the school and the legal profession. It is named for Edwin F. Jaeckle ’15, a founding partner of the Buffalo law firm Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, and a major benefactor of the school.
