While it was an event organized for the legal community, people from all aspects of Tomei’s life spoke. His siblings Gary and Barbara Tomei, brother-in-law Aldo Bianchi and stepdaughter Hayley Sumner represented the family. Ted Federici, one of Tomei’s oldest friends, also spoke.

Then there was Ira Levine, a friend from Tomei’s political life, along with friends Jerry Kadish, Steve Marter and Leon Perahia, who all spoke. Judge Michael Obus was there to explain Tomei’s deep passion for tennis, and Judge Alan Marrus discussed Tomei’s amateur comedy career.

Marrus explained that he loved performing to audiences and was once asked to do his routine during the annual NYS Judges Conference, but was so sarcastic toward the court that his routine was canceled before he got to perform it a second time.

“For Al, every person he met was an audience,” Marrus said. “Al loved an audience. Performing comedy was second nature to him. No matter how tragic or stressful his personal life, no matter how depraved the cases he encountered in court, Al was ready with a joke and a laugh.”

Of Tomei’s career as a judge, Kamins recalled the most influential decision of his legal career — a move that would change the course of the death penalty in New York state.

“Al ruled that a portion of the New York law was unconstitutional because it encouraged defendants to plead guilty rather than risk a death sentence by going to trial,” Kamins said. “The DA of the county [Charles Hynes] challenged Al’s ruling … the defendants then appealed to the NY Court of Appeals … It was one of my proudest moments when Al asked me to represent him in that court.

We were successful, the court reversed and upheld Al’s ruling paving the way for the end of capital punishment in New York.”

Tomei’s family recalled his bout with polio when he was just 5 years old and his life growing up in Bensonhurst where Tomei attended New Utrecht High School before he went to Brooklyn College and later Brooklyn Law School.

“If I knew that he was going to be such a good judge deserving of such adulation, I wouldn’t have beaten him up so much,” his brother Gary joked.

Tomei, who grew up playing stickball on 16th Avenue in Brooklyn with his brother, played football until he left the sport following a concussion. Later, he became passionate about tennis.

“With the possible exception of Al’s family, the most important aspect of Al’s life was his involvement in and his commitment to the court,” Obus joked. “And by that, I don’t mean the court of law, despite what Barry said. Although I do understand that he had something to do with that.”

Tomei died on Sept. 22 after a battle with cancer. He served Brooklyn as a judge since his election to the Civil Court in 1977. He later was assigned to the Brooklyn Supreme Court in 1981 and was elected to the Brooklyn Supreme Court in 1993.

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