DuBois, left, with McGuirk, “a good friend”
NEWBURGH – Retired State Supreme Court Justice John McGuirk died
overnight.
The Cornwall resident passed away with family at his bedside at St. Luke’s
Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh.
Long-time friend, Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois called him “a
good friend, articulate and a knowledgeable jurist.”
DuBois got to know McGuirk through his regular greetings to new American
citizens during naturalization ceremonies. “He always said, ‘Welcome
to the fullness of citizenship’.”
McGuirk was “an Orange County legend,” said County Executive
Steven Neuhaus.
“Whether it was serving as a Supreme Court judge or in one of his
many volunteer roles in our community, Judge McGuirk served residents
with class, compassion and dignity,” said Neuhaus. “Most importantly,
he never forgot where he came from treating every person he met with the
utmost respect. His loss is monumental but his legacy will endure for
many years to come.”
McGuirk began his career in 1967 serving in the US Army Advocate General
Corps as an assistant professor of law at West Point.
He then served in private law practice until 1995. He also served as a
justice of Cornwall Town Court.
McGuirk was elected to the Orange County Family Court where he served
from 1995 to 1999 and in 2000 he joined the Supreme Court, a position
from which he retired in 2011.
Justice McGuirk was married to Joan Cusack-McGuirk, the president of St.
Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.
