James A. Murphy III

For other people named James Murphy, see James Murphy (disambiguation).
Saratoga County Court Judge James A. Murphy III

James A. Murphy III (born c. 1961) is an American politician of the Republican party, former District Attorney and a jurist. He is currently the County Court Judge for Saratoga County, New York.[1]

Murphy began serving in the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office in 1988, as an assistant DA.[2] He first was elected district attorney in 1997 and was sworn in on January 2, 1998. He was re-elected in 2001, 2005, and 2009. In all, he has served for over 23 years as a prosecutor. His grandfather was United States Congressman Carleton J. King.[3]

Early life and education

Murphy was born in Saratoga Springs on October 13, 1961 to Constance King Murphy, a law school graduate, and James A. Murphy, Jr. of Brooklyn, NY, an attorney and later mayor of Saratoga Springs.[4] He is a grandson of Carleton J. King,[5] who was Saratoga County District Attorney from 1950 to 1961, served as a member of the United States Congress from 1961–1974,[6] and was later Chairman of the Board of Visitors of West Point Military Academy.[7]

Murphy graduated from Saratoga Springs Schools in 1979. He earned his bachelor's degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in 1983. He received a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law in New York in 1986. He attended The Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education and received a Certificate in Leadership in 2011 [8][9] During his second year of law school he attended University College London Law Faculty, England, during which time he was employed by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and worked for Jim Wallace, M.P., of Orkney and Shetland.[10]

Early career

Murphy was a law clerk at the firm of Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan, Kurucz, Levy, Eisele and Richard, a law firm in New York City. Upon being admitted to the New York State Bar, he became an associate of the firm.[11][12]

Murphy first joined the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office in 1988 as an assistant district attorney. He was appointed First Assistant District Attorney in 1996. He ran for the position of district attorney in 1997 and was sworn in on January 2, 1998, becoming one of the youngest district attorneys in New York. He successfully ran for re-election in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013.

Work as district attorney

As District Attorney, Murphy established a misdemeanor and felony drug court for offenders who are addicted to controlled substances or alcohol.[13] During Murphy's tenure, the Saratoga County Drug Treatment Court has diverted almost 200 participants into treatment and away from correctional facilities, helping individuals rejoin the work force and saving incarceration expenses.[14] Murphy has also created specialized domestic violence prosecution units in the cities of Saratoga Springs, Mechanicville and the town of Clifton Park.

With the assistance of the Superintendent of the New York State Police, he established the new position of a NYSP Senior Investigator assigned to the District Attorney's Office.[15]

Perhaps the best-known case Murphy prosecuted was against notorious murderer, Sylvain Turcotte, who was sentenced in 1995 to back-to-back life sentences for the brutal murder of his wife and mother-in-law.[16]

On September 20, 2014, Murphy resigned as Saratoga County District Attorney while running for Saratoga County Court Judge.[17]

Professional affiliations

Murphy is a member of the NYS Supreme Court's 4th Judicial District Law Library Board and a New York State co-chair of Fight Crime-Invest in Kids Inc. Murphy is also active in the New York State Bar Association and has served as a member of the House of Delegates. He has been Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the New York State District Attorneys' Association.[18]

In 2003, Governor George Pataki appointed him to the NYS Commission on Forensic Science. Governor Pataki and Governor Eliot Spitzer appointed him to serve on the New York State Domestic Violence Advisory Board in 2001 and 2007, respectively. Murphy was re-appointed by Governor Cuomo in 2013.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Murphy Sworn In as Saratoga County Court Judge, The Saratogian, December 29, 2014 http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20141229/murphy-sworn-in-as-saratoga-county-court-judge
  2. ↑ http://saratogacountyda.com/about/staff/james-murphy-iii/
  3. ↑ http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Saratoga-County-District-Attorney-James-Murphy-5231518.php
  4. ↑ http://www.saratogapreservation.org/about-us/history
  5. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19860625&id=P4xGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WekMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3969,5878937
  6. ↑ Biographical Directory of Members of Congress http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000195
  7. ↑ West Point Military Academy, Report of the Board of Visitors, 29 November 1977 http://digital-library.usma.edu/libmedia/archives/bov/V1977.PDF
  8. ↑ Biography of James A. Murphy, III http://saratogacountyda.com/about/staff/james-murphy-iii/
  9. ↑ Martindale Hubbell http://www.martindale.com/James-A-Murphy-III/392211-lawyer.htm
  10. ↑ Later, in 2007, Wallace was appointed to the House of Lords.
  11. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19860625&id=P4xGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WekMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3969,5878937
  12. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19861108&id=6AwhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VHIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6322,1864843
  13. ↑ Saratoga County to Offer Drug Court, The Sunday Gazette https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bjkjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G4oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4273%2C937710
  14. ↑ Drug Treatment Court - http://saratogacountyda.com/programs-services/drug-treatment-court/
  15. ↑ List of Investigators - http://saratogacountyda.com/about/district-attorney-investigators/
  16. ↑ Defense Calls Victim's Boyfriend, The Daily Gazette, August 9, 1994 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UwUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P-AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1110%2C1925970
  17. ↑ Murphy Resigns as Saratoga County District Attorney, The Saratogian, September 18, 2014 http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20140918/murphy-resigns-as-saratoga-county-district-attorney
  18. ↑ http://www.daasny.org/History.html
  19. ↑ D.A. Murphy Appointed to Forensic Commission http://theballstonjournal.com/2013/07/11/james-murphy-appointed-to-forensic-commission/#more-33132
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