Brooklyn Boro

Justice Arthur Schack honored at Supreme Court

September 21, 2016 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Kings County Supreme Court held a tribute ceremony for the late Justice Arthur Schack on Wednesday, presenting his family with a plaque to commemorate his time as a judge. Pictured from left: Hon. Lawrence Knipel, Dilia Schack, Elaine Schack-Rodriguez, Douglas Schack, Gina Schack and Todd Blanchard. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese
Share this:

The Kings County Board of Justices Good and Welfare Committee on Wednesday hosted a tribute to the late Justice Arthur M. Schack, presenting his family with a plaque to commemorate his time as a judge in the Brooklyn Supreme Court.

“When Justice Schack, known to us as Artie, passed away, we lost a colleague and a friend,” said Hon. Rachel Adams. “We were sadly unprepared. Today, we present a plaque to Justice Schack’s family before it is permanently placed in the lobby of 360 Adams St., his home for 12 years.”

Hon. Wayne Saitta, president of the Kings County Board of Justices, served as the master of ceremonies for the event. Hon. Lawrence Knipel, Hon. Randall T. Eng, Hon. Frank Seddio, Schack’s daughter Elaine Schack-Rodriguez, his law clerk Ronald Bratt and his wife Dilia Schack each took turns recalling stories of the judge.

Everyone remembered Schack as outspoken but friendly and as a passionate person who cared about the little guy. According to those who spoke, the judge would often stick to his convictions even if it meant that his decisions would be appealed.

“Justice Schack was no stranger to the Appellate Division, and we’ll leave it at that,” Justice Eng said. “Suffice to say, in the records before us, in the Appellate Division, you can see an underlying thread of caring. Caring for the litigants that came before him.”

Judge Schack became a high school teacher after college and eventually went on to be a successful attorney before becoming a judge. His daughter Elaine Schack-Rodriguez said that it was his third career as a judge that he truly loved.

“From the moment he took the bench, it was love at first sight,” Schack-Rodriguez said. “His time as a jurist was by far the happiest and most fulfilling of his professional life. He loved everything about his job. He loved debating parts of law, he loved learning about areas of law that eluded him and really loved researching and writing his own decisions.”

Judge Schack was known for his colorful language in his decisions, and his daughter shared one of her favorite of his lines.

“Some decisions were a little dramatic,” Schack-Rodriguez said. “For instance, in one foreclosure decision, he quoted an entire scene from ‘Dracula’ and referred to the plaintiff throughout the decision as ‘the living-dead plaintiff.’”

Judge Lawrence Knipel, administrative judge for the Kings County Supreme Court for Civil Matters, called Schack an “administrator’s dream” because he would always volunteer to help out when there was need. He joked that the late judge wasn’t the best when it came to following Appellate Division precedent.

“Trials that no one else wanted with pro se litigants or obstreperous lawyers — no problem, he took them all,” Knipel said. “Following Appellate Division precedent in foreclosures, well, what can I say? He was real good with those obstreperous lawyers.”

When the event was over, the stories about Schack kept coming, as people continued to recall anecdotes as they went off for a reception.

“On behalf of the Brooklyn Bar Association, we honor him as a great jurist,” said Frank Seddio, president of the Brooklyn Bar Association. “We honor him as someone who stood in this building with distinction, character and integrity. We honor him because he was a fair and decent minded individual who tried to do the right thing by the people who appeared before him.”

Subscribe to our newsletters


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment