Leo F. McGinity, former chief Nassau judge, lawyer, town councilman, dies at 97
Leo F. McGinity always had a clear sense of right and wrong throughout his life, his family said.
“He was like Atticus Finch; he had a very strong moral compass that never flickered, it pointed,” said his daughter Meg Shannon, of Rockville Centre. “He showed that to his children and everything he did, he did with integrity and loyalty.”
The longtime attorney was appointed to be a judge in 1976, later becoming supervising judge for Nassau County’s criminal courts and the administrative judge for all of Nassau’s civil and criminal parts, overseeing the day-to-day operation of the courts.
The longtime Baldwin resident died from congestive heart failure on Dec. 14 at the age of 97.
Leo F. McGinity was born in Garden City on Aug. 9, 1927. The eldest of six children, McGinity graduated from St. Francis Xavier High School in New York City before serving as a private in the Marine Corps from 1945 to 1946. He earned a bachelor’s from Georgetown University in 1950 and received his law degree from New York Law School in 1954.
McGinity met Mary Quinn in the early ’60s through a mutual friend. The two were married for more than 60 years and had six children. She died in 2015. The couple purchased their Baldwin home in 1963, a town that McGinity called “beautiful Baldwin,” according to his daughter.
“He loved the history he had with Baldwin and knew it could be even better than it was if he got people with different views together,” said Shannon. “He was very purposeful with how he spent his day and still had a to-do list a mile long.”
From 1969 to 1976, McGinity served as a councilman for the Town of Hempstead. Law was a family business, and McGinity first practiced as an associate of his mother, Mildred McGinity, and uncle Eugene R. Hurley Sr. Later he formed McGinity, Bernstein, D’Amato & Hurley, where he practiced until 1976. He was appointed as a judge to the Nassau County Court that same year.
He then served as acting justice of the state Supreme Court from 1978 until his election to that court in 1981. McGinity was appointed supervising judge of the Criminal Courts of Nassau County in 1983 and appointed administrative judge of Nassau County in 1986. Ten years later, Gov. George Pataki appointed McGinity to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Judicial Department.
According to his daughter, McGinity loved the law, and “had a clarity of understanding logic and flaws in people’s arguments.”
“He loved the idea of fairness and justice, and he was really good at explaining things. He didn’t just talk about a problem, he made every attempt to do something about it,” Shannon said, adding that her father would write letters to advocate for change. “He had a gift for communicating his ideas and was always educating himself. Dad was a very engaged member of his community, whatever community that was.”
McGinity’s steadfast faith was ever-present. For more than 50 years, he and his wife were parishioners of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Roosevelt, where he taught confraternity. He later became a daily communicant and parishioner at St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin as an active member of the parish council as well as the Baldwin Interfaith Council, his family said.
McGinity was a recipient of the Norman F. Lent Memorial Award in 1980 and was named Mercy Hospital’s lifetime achievement award winner in 2020. He also was honored in 2024 as a 70-year member of the Nassau County Bar Association.
McGinity enjoyed spending time on his boat, taking trips to his vacation home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He was an avid golfer who played as a member of Wheatley Hills Golf Club for more than 70 years, where he developed many lifelong friendships.
“He was a character and a wonderful man … one of the most special people I’ve ever met in my lifetime,” said McGinity’s close friend Tom Christman, of Old Westbury, who met McGinity at the Wheatley Hills Golf Club 50 years ago. “He played golf twice a week at the age of 97 and was always interested in public issues.”
McGinity retired in 2003 at the age of 76 but opened a law firm with his son Leo McGinity Jr., called McGinity & McGinity P.C. in Garden City, where he practiced until the last days of his life. According to his son, McGinity was an all-around great parent and person.
“He was a great dad and was always very present when we were kids. From Little League games to dance recitals and everything through school, he was there,” said Leo McGinity Jr., of Point Lookout. “He was a man of Catholic faith his entire life — a daily Mass-goer — who lived with courage and dignity all through his life.”
In addition to Meg and Leo, survivors include his daughters Eileen Malone, Susan Matthews, Norah LeBlanc and son Cornelius “C.V” McGinity; 17 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; sister Grace Middlemiss, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and brother Frank McGinity, of Montecito, California. A funeral Mass and private cremation service was held at the Church of St. Christopher in Baldwin on Dec. 21, with the interment of his ashes at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury on Saturday.
Leo F. McGinity always had a clear sense of right and wrong throughout his life, his family said.
“He was like Atticus Finch; he had a very strong moral compass that never flickered, it pointed,” said his daughter Meg Shannon, of Rockville Centre. “He showed that to his children and everything he did, he did with integrity and loyalty.”
The longtime attorney was appointed to be a judge in 1976, later becoming supervising judge for Nassau County’s criminal courts and the administrative judge for all of Nassau’s civil and criminal parts, overseeing the day-to-day operation of the courts.
The longtime Baldwin resident died from congestive heart failure on Dec. 14 at the age of 97.
Leo F. McGinity was born in Garden City on Aug. 9, 1927. The eldest of six children, McGinity graduated from St. Francis Xavier High School in New York City before serving as a private in the Marine Corps from 1945 to 1946. He earned a bachelor’s from Georgetown University in 1950 and received his law degree from New York Law School in 1954.
McGinity met Mary Quinn in the early ’60s through a mutual friend. The two were married for more than 60 years and had six children. She died in 2015. The couple purchased their Baldwin home in 1963, a town that McGinity called “beautiful Baldwin,” according to his daughter.
“He loved the history he had with Baldwin and knew it could be even better than it was if he got people with different views together,” said Shannon. “He was very purposeful with how he spent his day and still had a to-do list a mile long.”
From 1969 to 1976, McGinity served as a councilman for the Town of Hempstead. Law was a family business, and McGinity first practiced as an associate of his mother, Mildred McGinity, and uncle Eugene R. Hurley Sr. Later he formed McGinity, Bernstein, D’Amato & Hurley, where he practiced until 1976. He was appointed as a judge to the Nassau County Court that same year.
He then served as acting justice of the state Supreme Court from 1978 until his election to that court in 1981. McGinity was appointed supervising judge of the Criminal Courts of Nassau County in 1983 and appointed administrative judge of Nassau County in 1986. Ten years later, Gov. George Pataki appointed McGinity to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Judicial Department.
According to his daughter, McGinity loved the law, and “had a clarity of understanding logic and flaws in people’s arguments.”
“He loved the idea of fairness and justice, and he was really good at explaining things. He didn’t just talk about a problem, he made every attempt to do something about it,” Shannon said, adding that her father would write letters to advocate for change. “He had a gift for communicating his ideas and was always educating himself. Dad was a very engaged member of his community, whatever community that was.”
McGinity’s steadfast faith was ever-present. For more than 50 years, he and his wife were parishioners of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Roosevelt, where he taught confraternity. He later became a daily communicant and parishioner at St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin as an active member of the parish council as well as the Baldwin Interfaith Council, his family said.
McGinity was a recipient of the Norman F. Lent Memorial Award in 1980 and was named Mercy Hospital’s lifetime achievement award winner in 2020. He also was honored in 2024 as a 70-year member of the Nassau County Bar Association.
McGinity enjoyed spending time on his boat, taking trips to his vacation home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He was an avid golfer who played as a member of Wheatley Hills Golf Club for more than 70 years, where he developed many lifelong friendships.
“He was a character and a wonderful man … one of the most special people I’ve ever met in my lifetime,” said McGinity’s close friend Tom Christman, of Old Westbury, who met McGinity at the Wheatley Hills Golf Club 50 years ago. “He played golf twice a week at the age of 97 and was always interested in public issues.”
McGinity retired in 2003 at the age of 76 but opened a law firm with his son Leo McGinity Jr., called McGinity & McGinity P.C. in Garden City, where he practiced until the last days of his life. According to his son, McGinity was an all-around great parent and person.
“He was a great dad and was always very present when we were kids. From Little League games to dance recitals and everything through school, he was there,” said Leo McGinity Jr., of Point Lookout. “He was a man of Catholic faith his entire life — a daily Mass-goer — who lived with courage and dignity all through his life.”
In addition to Meg and Leo, survivors include his daughters Eileen Malone, Susan Matthews, Norah LeBlanc and son Cornelius “C.V” McGinity; 17 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; sister Grace Middlemiss, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and brother Frank McGinity, of Montecito, California. A funeral Mass and private cremation service was held at the Church of St. Christopher in Baldwin on Dec. 21, with the interment of his ashes at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury on Saturday.
Source link
