Brooklyn Boro

Beloved Bay Ridge Justice Arthur Schack dies at 70

May 3, 2016 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Justice Arthur Schack. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese
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Hon. New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack died Monday, May 2, at age 70.

The beloved Bay Ridge Judge presided over hundreds of civil cases each year, ranging from home foreclosures and medical malpractices to disputes between neighbors over parking spaces.  Among his most famous cases was one in which a plaintiff tried to sue President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. John McCain, House Speaker John Boehner and dozens of other national figures, charging them with fraud. Schack threw the case out.

Prior to becoming a judge, Schack was a lawyer for the Major League Baseball Players Association for 16 years, where he interacted with ballplayers and their agents. Before that, he was a teacher at Bay Ridge High School, now called the High School of Telecommunications and Technology.

Schack was born and raised in Bensonhurst. He attended P.S. 205, Seth Low Junior High School and Stuyvesant High School.  He went to Brooklyn College and graduated with a degree in history. He earned a master’s degree in history from Indiana University. He was a teacher at Bay Ridge High School, where he also became an active member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). He served as the UFT chapter chairman for several year.

During the mid-’70s, Schack left teaching to earn a law degree from New York Law School. He became a civil court judge, and in 2003, he became a New York State Supreme Court justice.

Schack lived in Bay Ridge, and was involved in politics and community service. He served on Community Board 10 (Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights) from 1983 to 1998. He was the board’s chairman for three years. He was also a member of the Stars and Stripes Democratic Club.

Schack is survived by his wife, Dilia Schack, a well-known and highly respected political leader. They were married 42 years, with two children, Douglas and Elaine, and two grandchildren, Olivia Grace and Robert Joseph.

 

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