A well-known jurist in Western NY has died after decades of service. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Telesca has died at the age of 90.

Word came from Judge Frank Geraci, the Chief Judge for the Western NY District.

Telesca had been on the federal bench for nearly 40 years. A building at the corner of State and Main Streets in downtown Rochester was renamed the Honorable Michael A. Telesca Center for Justice in 2007. It provides space for non-profit organizations that provide civil legal services for people who cannot afford them.

In a statement, Judge Geraci said that, “Today, the world lost a champion for justice.” Geraci said that Telesca understood that the courts were a vehicle for citizens to receive a prompt and fair disposition of their disputes, and he says the judge’s motto was “Dignity in and Dignity Out,” meaning that all litigants needed to be respected throughout the proceedings.

Geraci said that “patience was not one of his virtues,” and wrote that Telesca “expected everything to happen yesterday.” Geraci said that the settlement in the Attica proceedings was just one example of his ability to bring parties together.

Although Telesca had 'senior status,' meaning that he only heard selected cases, Geraci said that Telesca had still been very actively until recently, handling about 300 civil cases a year.