Robert F. Julian
Robert F. Julian is a New York judge, lawyer and former sports executive. He served as a New York Supreme Court judge from 2001 to 2008, the President of the New York-Penn Baseball League from 1992 to 2000, and the Majority Leader of the Oneida County Board of Legislators from 1978 to 2000.
As a judge, Julian decided one of the early cases holding that parental smoking and secondhand smoke was a risk to children and a factor in parental custody and parenting time in matrimonial cases. (DeMatteo) In 1992, he was a practicing lawyer who obtained the first negligent infliction of the HIV virus verdicts in a case that helped define and accentuate the need for retractable needles when treating HIV patients. ( NYT/NYLawJournal)
As majority leader of the Oneida County Board of Legislators, Julian wrote the local law which was the basis of a United States Supreme Court case in which the court articulated that solid waste was not a commodity in commerce and thus local governments in America could fund solid waste systems by requiring citizens and businesses to dispose of waste to local government. He was described by the New York Times as "a formidable power broker" during his time as Majority Leader of the Oneida County (N.Y.) Board of Legislators.
As President of the New York-Penn League, Julian led the effort to obtain 100 million dollars in stadium improvements for the 14 team minor league. Working with New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Julian led the successful effort to relocate New York-Penn League teams into Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Elected to the State Supreme Court with the support of all four major parties, Julian's tenure as a judge was not without controversy. He was criticized for having clerked to become a lawyer in the 1970s after having been expelled from law school. (NYT) However, he received high ratings from the lawyers who appeared in front of him, having been described as "a pragmatic judge" and "the absolute picture of judicial decorum." The attorneys that appeared in front of him also praised his fairness and his "excellent" knowledge of the law.
Julian earned a LL.M. (Master of Laws) in 2005 from the University of London and a Ph.D. in 2008 from Queen Mary and Westfield Law School, University of London. Chapters of his dissertation were published in the United Kingdom Criminal Law Journal. He currently practices law in Syracuse and Utica, New York in a practice which includes representing Judges accused by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (Hedges Law Journal/trial cites)
- Record Award in HIV Needle Case New York Law Journal. By John O'Brien. Pg. 1 July 14, 1992; Infected Nurse wins $5.4 Million From New York State in AIDS Suit. By Sam Howe Verhovek. July 15, 1992, pg. 1
- New York Judges Reviews and Court Directory 2007/2008. James Publishing, Costa Mesa, Cal. Pg. 477-480
National and International Recognition
State and Local Recognition
- ABC News Channel 9 Syracuse, NY.
- NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct.
- New York State Court.
- Utica Observer Dispatch.
- Utica Observer Dispatch.