Articles

Profile of Family Court Judge John M. Hunt

By Michael Goldsmith

Family Court Judge John M. Hunt comes to the bench with deep family roots in Queens county, and a vast amount of trial experience.

The future judge was born in Ridgewood in the house in which his father grew up. His mother, who still resides there, was a New York City school teacher, and his father was a decorated captain in the N.Y.C. Fire Department. In his chambers, The Judge proudly displays a photo of his father receiving the Medal of Honor from then mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.

Judge Hunt graduated from Regis High School, along with fellow Family Court Judge Stephen J. Bogacz. Judge Hunt received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University in economics, and his law degree from Fordham Law School, where he served on the Law Review.

The newly admitted attorney began his career with the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division, and was soon assigned to try felony cases. Judge Hunt served at Legal aid for 20 years, and tried numerous murder, robbery and rape cases before The Supreme Court. Judge Hunt eventually went on to become Supervising Attorney, and eventually was responsible for the trial work of 25-30 attorneys.

While at Legal Aid, Judge Hunt felt that "as a citizen of the City of New York," he "had something to offer with all of trial experience," and applied for the bench. He first applied for appointment to The Criminal Court in 1984 during the Koch administration and re-applied in 1991 at the request of the Dinkens Administration. In 1996, Mayor Giuliani's staff asked him to again submit an application for The Criminal Court. As it turned out, the third time was the charm. After twelve years and 25 separate interviews with City agencies, Mayors and bar groups, Judge Hunt was finally appointed to the bench. In 1996, he was sworn in by Mayor Giuliani as a New York State Family Court Judge.

Having spent 20 years in criminal practice, Judge Hunt had to quickly master Family Court law. Fortunately, Judge Hunt was able to get advice from his old high school friend Judge Bogacz. Equally fortuitous, the transition didn't result in too severe a culture shock for the Judge. "The job is fact and people driven," said Judge Hunt. "My experience as a practicing attorney acts as a compass in terms of which facts or laws to focus on. Also, after being a criminal defense attorney, learning Family Court procedure was more like learning a different dialect as opposed to having to mastering an entirely new language."

The hardest part of the transition from practicing attorney to Family Court Judge was that “I had to realize that I am no longer an advocate, ” said the Judge. “After being trained for 20 years to argue a point, it is a pitfall to argue with attorneys who appear before me. I am not here to argue.”

Judge Hunt is grateful for the assistance provided to him by his Court Attorney for the last three years, Douglas Forman. "I have worked with many people, and I have found that Doug is the hardest working person I have ever met. He is very smart, and cares for the quality of what he does.” Prior to serving with Judge Hunt, Mr. Forman served under Family Court Judges Mary Bednar in Manhattan, and Edward Kaufmann, in Queens and Manhattan. After his appointment to the bench, Judge Hunt sat in the Bronx. "Between Doug and myself, we have worked in every family court in the City, except for Staten Island," said the Judge.

Currently, Queens Family Court is the site of major initiatives and innovations. Judge Hunt’s part is dedicated solely for child abuse and neglect cases. The part is run on a "Best Practices" model.

The "Best Practices" model established Judge Hunt's part as a "model court" which hopefully will be the template for all child protective cases in New York City Family Courts. "We are trying to modify the criminal justice model to Family Court," said Judge Hunt. "The court will be very pro-active in initiating conferences and checking compliances. Referees will handle certain hearings, and a case manager will help to move cases along, so as to shorten foster care or to place the child for adoption."

The model is designed to conserve judicial resources, avoid unnecessary delays and speed the process. "For example," said the Judge, "the part staff, which includes Court Officers Timothy Hugelmeyer and James Marshall, working closely together with the case manager will find a lawyer for a person ahead of time so as to avoid unnecessary appearances and adjournments. Doug can conference cases before they get to me, which may avoid unnecessary litigation, and free me up for trials. My Referee, Edwina Richardson-Thomas, Esq., can have proceedings to check compliance with Court Orders."

Judge Hunt readily acknowledges the long delays attendant to Family Court Practice. "The population of Queens County is two million. There are eight Family Court Judges. Many cases involve multiple parties and attorneys. There is a limited number of 18(b) attorneys, who often have different cases in the Courthouse at the same time. It is very hard to coordinate appearances with so many parties and attorneys. The new Model Court tries to address this issue and attempts to be more respectful of people's time by avoiding unnecessary appearances," said Judge Hunt.

Judge Hunt offers this advice to the bar, which comes from his own experience as a litigator, "Respect your own time. People need to make themselves available to discuss solutions without unnecessary litigation. The legal system is a limited solution to problems. I see my role as trying to bring people together."

Since taking the bench, Judge Hunt has had 26 reported decisions. Among his decisions is

In the Matter of the Adoption of Carl, an Infant, 709 N.Y.S.2d 905, which, in a matter of apparent first impression, the court held that two unmarried and unrelated adults who have been in a relationship for 24 years, may jointly adopt a 3 ½ year old child who is not the child of either petitioner, but was placed in their home.

Judge Hunt is a soft spoken, genial man, with a gentle sense of humor. Judge Hunt enjoys many outside activities. He has been a commentator on Court TV. He also has taught at NYC Technical Collage as an associate professor of paralegal studies.

Judge Hunt is a proud family man. His son is a freshman at college studying for a theater arts degree. His daughter is a sophomore in high school. Judge Hunt's wife is an aerobics instructor. "She is a fitness expert," said the Judge, "and I am her first failure." Donovan, the Golden Retriever, completes the family list. In his spare time, Judge Hunt enjoys jogging, baseball, and reading non-fiction books. He also enjoys playing chess, and in his chambers, he has two photographs of himself playing chess separated by 30 years with his father.