Salvatore R. Martoche

Salvatore R. Martoche
Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, New York Fourth Department
In office
May 3, 2004 – August 28, 2013
Appointed byGovernor George Pataki
Justice of the Supreme, New York 8th Judicial District
In office
January 2000 – May 2004
Personal details
Born
Salvatore Richard Martoche

(1940-10-12) October 12, 1940 (age 84)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary Dee Martoche
EducationCanisius College (BS)
University of North Dakota School of Law (JD)
NicknameSal

Salvatore Richard Martoche (born October 12, 1940) is an American lawyer and a retired judge of the NYS Supreme Court, Appellate Division.

Early life and education

Martoche was born in Buffalo, New York. He received his Bachelor of Science from Canisius College in 1962[1] and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1967.

Career

He was a public defender before going into private practice from 1969 to 1982. He served as assistant counsel to the majority for the New York State Senate from 1974 to 1982 and administrator for the Erie County Bar Association of the Pre-Trial Services Agency, Inc. from 1972 to 1981.

Hide in Plain Sight, the 1980 movie starring James Caan, is based on one of Martoche's cases.[2] He is credited with reforms in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program.

Martoche was United States Attorney for the Western District of New York from 1982 to 1986, and was a member of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee from 1983 to 1986, serving as vice chairman in 1984 and chairman in 1985.

He was assistant secretary of labor (enforcement) under President Ronald Reagan from May 1986 to 1988.[3]

In the Spring of 1988, Martoche turned down an offer from Attorney General Edwin Meese to replace William Weld as head of the criminal division of the Department of Justice. Weld and Deputy Attorney General Arnold Burns had resigned in protest of Meese's leadership in the Justice Department. Martoche told colleagues that he did not want to be publicly associated with Meese. Messe subsequently resigned over his involvement in the Wedtech scandal.[4]

On April 19, 1988, President Reagan announced his intention to nominate Martoche to be a member of the National Mediation Board for the term expiring July 1, 1991.[5] From 1988 to 1990, he served as an assistant secretary of the treasury, overseeing law enforcement operations under President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush. Before leaving federal service, Martoche was a key official involved in the response to the savings and loan crisis, serving as the acting director of the Office of Thrift Supervision.[6]

In the 1990s, Martoche was in private practice in Buffalo and served as one of six commissioners of the state Commission of Investigation, which investigates organized crime and public corruption statewide.

Martoche served as a New York State Supreme Court justice for 13 years from January 2000 until his retirement. He was designated to serve on the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Fourth Department on May 3, 2004, by Governor George Pataki.

In August 2013 Judge Martoche retired from the bench and joined a Buffalo law firm as head of its Alternative dispute resolution practice group.[7]

Personal life

Martoche married attorney Mary Dee Benesh in 1967.[8]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "346 to Step Forward Sunday for Canisius College Degrees". The Buffalo Evening News. No. page 63 – Section IV. 6 June 1962.
  2. ^ Buckham, Tom (18 December 1979). "Leonhard Relives Pain of Past". The Buffalo Evening News. No. page 66 – Section IV.
  3. ^ "Nomination of Salvatore R. Martoche To Be an Assistant Secretary of Labor". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  4. ^ Shenon, Philip (6 April 1988). "Former Head of Bar Picked for No. 2 Justice Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Nomination of Salvatore R. Martoche To Be a Member of the National Mediation Board". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  6. ^ Metzler Lavin, Rosemary (7 March 1990). "A Buffalo lawyer gets top S&L job". New York Daily News. No. 188.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Robert J. (August 27, 2013). "Martoche to retire as State Supreme Court Justice". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  8. ^ Radder, Joseph H. "Mary Dee Martoche North Dakota's Loss, Buffalo's Gain". Living Prime Time. Jerry Flaschner. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Criminal Justice Alumni to Honor Martoche, Moot, Koteras at Dinner". The Buffalo News. No. page C-11. 19 April 1983.
  10. ^ Staff (27 February 1994). "Past Citizen of the Year Winners". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.