E. Leo Milonas

Elias Leo Milonas (October 23, 1936 – January 2, 2024) was an American judge and lawyer who served for 26 years as a judge in New York State. He chaired the New York Commission on Judicial Nomination from 2019 until his death, and retired from his position as a partner with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop at the end of 2023.

Background
Elias Leo Milonas, the son of Greek immigrant parents, was born in 1936 and grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. He graduated from the City College of New York with a bachelor's degree in 1957, and from Brooklyn Law School with an L.L.B. in 1960.

Career
Milonas served as an associate justice for the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department from 1982 to 1998; he was Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York from 1993 to 1995, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts from 1979 to 1981, and he served as state Supreme Court justice from 1978 to 1979. Prior to that, Milonas served as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, and Supervising Judge for New York County Criminal Court and the Bronx Criminal Court.

Milonas was a partner at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation, appeals, and alternative dispute resolution. His clients have included General Electric, Viacom, Pfizer, Schering-Plough, Deutsche Bank, Bank of New York, American Express, and The Bank of Cyprus.

Civic involvement
Milonas was involved with numerous civic and governmental institutions. From 2002 to 2004 he served as president of the New York City Bar Association. He has also served as a fellow of the American Bar Association; Director of the Legal Aid Society; Director of the Fund for Modern Courts; board member of the New York Urban League; and board member for the Fund for the City of New York, among other offices.

On February 6, 2019, the New York Commission on Judicial Nomination elected Milonas to be its chair, succeeding Alan Mansfield, who had served that role in an interim capacity since the death of Judith Kaye in 2016.

Personal life and death
Milonas married Helen Gamanos in 1960, and they had two daughters. He died of heart failure on January 2, 2024, at his home in Riverdale, Bronx. He was 87.