ALICE SCHLESINGER Obituary

When I FaceTimed Nooter last week, we talked about his sister-in-law; she passed away in late May. Her husband Tom, Nooter and I roamed Manhattan one night twenty years ago.

Alice R. Alice R. Schlesinger, age 85, passed away on Tuesday, May 26th. She was a retired New York Supreme Court justice who was known for her long career in public service, legal advocacy, and post-retirement pro bono work. She is survived by her husband, Thomas H. Nooter, her son, Daniel S. Nooter, and her daughter, Sarah H. Nooter, and her three grandsons, Henry, Arthur and Ezekiel. Judge Schlesinger graduated from NYU School of Law in 1968 and became a defense attorney with the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division in Manhattan, and later a supervising attorney in the Bronx Criminal Defense office. In 1984 she was elected to New York Civil Court where, among other ground-breaking decisions, she issued a decision expanding the definition of "family" for housing succession rights to persons in non-traditional relationships -- a case which presaged the legalization of gay rights in New York. She was elevated to Acting Supreme Court Justice in 1994 and then elected to a full term as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in 2000. Upon retiring from the bench in 2017, she returned to her advocacy on behalf of the indigent, representing female inmates pro bono in their applications for parole. She was a fearless and fierce defense attorney on behalf of her indigent clients, and a thoughtful, intelligent and independent judge while on the bench. Funeral services will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel at 180 West 76th Street in Manhattan on Sunday, May 31, at 11am.

Published by New Y0rk Times on May 30, 2026.