Donald
J. Wisner, New York State Supreme Court (Ret.), graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School in its
first graduating class of 1959 and graduated from the University
of Notre Dame in 1963. He graduated from Albany Law
School in 1966. Following his admission to practice
law that year, Hon. Donald J. Wisner served as a Captain
in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps until 1971.
Judge Wisner returned
to Rochester to practice law with Cusker & Cusker and
joined the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
In 1976 he was appointed Chief of the Homicide Bureau where
he prosecuted over 100 homicide cases including the trial
of "Mad Dog" People v. Sullivan, 103
A.D.2d 1035. In 1978 he was appointed Chief Trial
Attorney of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
In 1979 and 1980
Judge Wisner was designated as a Special Assistant U.S.
Attorney to investigate and prosecute organized crime cases
in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
including United States v. Barton, 677 F2d 224
and United States v. Russotti, 717 F2d 27.
In 1981 and 1982
Judge Wisner was asked to be Trial Counsel to the Steuben
County District Attorney's Office in People v. Comfort,
113 A.D.2d 420 and 113 A.D.2d 430, the murder of New York
State Trooper Van Hall.
In 1982 Judge
Wisner was elected to Monroe County Court. He has
served on assignment to the Supreme, Family, and Surrogate
Courts in many counties of the Seventh and Eighth Judicial
Districts.
In 1991 he was
elected to the New York State Supreme Court and served regularly
on assignment in New York County. Judge Wisner
was also the presiding justice in numerous homicide and
felony trials such as the trial of Arthur J. Shawcross (People
v. Shawcross, 192 A.D.2d 1143)
In 1997 Judge
Wisner was designated to the Appellate Division, Fourth
Judicial Department. He has served on a Joint Appellate
Division Committee to review proposed changes to the Code
of Professional Responsibility. Judge Wisner has also
chaired the Indigent Appeals Management Counsel for the
Seventh Judicial District.
In 2004 he retired
from the Appellate Division and joined his son Todd
J.W. Wisner and the law firm of Wisner & Wisner,
LLP. We are extremely
excited and proud to have a prosecutor, trial judge, and
Supreme Court Appellate Justice of his stature join our
law firm.
In his thirty
three years of experience as a prosecutor and judge he has
made a significant impact upon the Monroe County community
and the law in the Fourth Department of the State of New
York.
Judge Wisner has
been the trial judge or Suprme Court Appellate Justice of
thousand's of written decisions. Many of those decisions
are binding precedent which Supreme Court, County Court
and lower courts must follow. He has been the trial
judge or on the appellate panel deciding over one hundred
DWI reported cases. Again, many of his decisions
have become binding precedent in DWI cases for trial courts
throughout New York State.
For Judge Wisner's
full resume please see Donald J. Wisner, New York State Supreme Court (Ret.), Resume.
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