JUDGE, LAW PROFESSOR, LAW COMMENTATOR, ATTORNEY

EDUCATION

Daniel Leddy graduated with honors from every educational institution he ever attended, including Augustinian Academy, a top college prep school, Fordham College, and Fordham Law School. 

During his high school years, he developed outstanding speaking and speech-writing skills, winning oratorical contests throughout New York City.  Not surprisingly, he was named editor-in-chief of the newspapers both at Augustinian Academy and Fordham Law School.
Upon his graduation from law school, he was the recipient of two prestigious American Jurisprudence Awards in Constitutional Law and Comparative Law 

LAW CAREER

While Daniel Leddy has handled a wide variety of cases involving virtually every area of the law, he has specialized primarily in Appellate Law, Criminal Defense, Family Law, Children's Rights, and Constitutional Law.  Several of the cases that he's handled in each of these areas received wide-spread attention by the media. 

For instance, his successful defense of a Staten Island woman indicted for Murder was especially newsworthy because of his decision to have the case tried without a jury, thus placing his client's  fate in the hands of a judge alone. It is believed to be the only non-jury murder trial ever conducted on Staten Island.

When a juvenile was scheduled to be tried for Murder in Family Court, Mr. Leddy brought a groundbreaking law suit against the presiding judge, seeking a jury trial in that forum. The suit produced an order from the State Supreme Court directing the Family Court Judge not to imprison the juvenile should there be a conviction but, rather, to place him in a treatment facility as a person in need of rehabilitation. 

Daniel Leddy's interest in Family Law made him a veritable fixture in Family Court and led to his appointment as Chair of the Family Court Committee of the Richmond County Bar Association. Among other things, he defended countless kids in juvenile delinquency proceedings and numerous parents accused of child abuse and neglect.

Advancing the constitutional rights of children has been another of Daniel Leddy's passions. 

When, for instance, the City of New York declared a so-called Vietnam War Moratorium Day, he sued the city on behalf of a middle-school student who objected to being told that he had to attend school if he supported the war, but should absent himself if he opposed it.  Mr. Leddy argued successfully that the compulsory education system couldn't be used as  vehicle to force students to speak out on political issues.  A Supreme Court Justice agreed, ordering the city to cancel its directive to the city's school kids.

In another case that reached New York State's highest court, Mr Leddy sued the City of New York on behalf of Catholic students at two public colleges who objected to relentless attacks on their religion in the schools' newspapers.  The novel case drew national attention and several amicus briefs from interested entities.

Mr. Leddy has substantial experience representing children who have been suspended or expelled from school. In two well-publicized cases, he sued the schools in State Supreme Court to overturn the disciplinary actions.

FAMILY COURT JUDGE

Appointed to the bench of the New York State Family Court by Mayor Edward Koch, Daniel Leddy distinguished himself as a prolific writer of precedent-setting legal opinions and an outspoken, tireless champion of children's rights.  

For instance, his opinion in Matter of Maureen G., a child abuse case in which an infant was starved to death, established the proposition that an absent-from-the-home father who either knows or should know of abuse in the home, can be held liable for the abuse inflicted by the mother. Here is an excerpt from that opinion:"He saw or should have seen a child dying, and offered no help, made no complaint, sounded no alarm. Although this inaction may not have hastened David's death, it certainly did not prevent it. And it is by this omission that Michael G. violated his paternal obligation to protect his child from recognizable harm." Matter of Maureen G. - 103 Misc.2d 109 -

In another precedent-setting opinion, Judge Leddy held that a father, who repeatedly taunted his son about his sexuality by calling him a "faggot", could be held liable for child abuse even though he did not inflict physical injury. Here is an excerpt from that opinion: "To fail to acknowledge this boy's plight would be an affront to the clear legislative intent of article 10 of the Family Court Act; to fail to label the father's actions as child abuse would strip the phrase of all meaning; to fail to warn other parents against this insidious type of abuse would perpetuate the suffering of countless other defenseless children." Matter of Shane T.  115 Misc. 2nd 161

During Judge Leddy's two terms on the bench, he was assigned periodically to the arraignment part of the New York City Criminal Court, assignments for which he was highly-qualified from his years as a criminal defense attorney.

LAW PROFESSOR

Following the expiration of his second term on the bench, Daniel Leddy sought to impart his legal expertise and experience to students. He thus  taught law and law-related subjects at St. John's University in New York City . As an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, and Assistant Director of the Criminal Justice Department, he also devised new courses for the curriculum and guided students in developing their careers.

Mr. Leddy has also given generously of his time to speak to countless middle school and high school students about the law. His lively presentations have been consistently well-received by the young people, and much appreciated by their teachers.  

LEGAL COMMENTATOR

Daniel Leddy's legal commentary has appeared in numerous professional and lay publications including the American Bar Association Journal, Scotusblog; the New York Law Journal, Criminal Justice Ethics, the New York Times, Parade Magazine, Today's Family Magazine and the National Catholic Register. His weekly column, "On the Law", was published for over 26 years in the Staten Island Advance.

TELEVISON PERSONALITY

Mr. Leddy has made numerous television appearances to discuss law-related news stories. He was also seen often on the Court Television Network where he provided commentary during its coverage of high-profile trials, including the Menendez Brothers murder case.

LAW-DEDICATED TWITTER ACCOUNT 

For several years, Mr. Leddy has maintained an active twitter account devoted to news from the U.S. Supreme Court and select other legal developments. It may be accessed at: https://twitter.com/legalhotshots?lang=en 

PERSONAL LIFE

When not involved in law-related activities, Daniel Leddy can be found pounding out several miles a day in Staten Island’s parks, following the New York Mets, reading about American colonial life, listening to rock music, and practicing his Catholic faith by, among other things, attending daily Mass and saying the Rosary.