2004 Polito

2004 Recipient - NY Supreme Court Justice William Polito

Bill was elected in November, 1996, to be a Justice of the Seventh Judicial District Supreme Court on New York. His term will expire in January, 2011. His previous employment includes being a NY State Tax Review Officer, Monroe County Legislator, Webster Town Attorney an attorney in private practice at Solin, Polito and Anderson.

Bill has been a member of numerous organizations and always actively involved in the mission of each. He is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, St. Thomas Lawyers Guild, Webster Knights of Columbus and Webster Residents Against Drug Abuse. Bill was a founding member of the Webster Group Home Committee for the Disabled.

Bill joined the Rochester Area Right to Life Committee in 1969. In the early '70's he was RARTL Delegate to the New York State Right to Life Committee, where he served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

Bill became the New York State Right to Life Committee's delegate to the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). There he served as Vice-Chairman of the NRLC Board of Directors. In that position he developed a unique format that allowed a single board of directors to manage the organization's educational, advocacy and political action activities. This format remains in use nationally, in all 50 state organizations of the U.S.A., as it has proven highly effective. Bill also headed the frist NYSRTL Political Action Committee (PAC).

Simultaneously, Bill sat of the Diocese of Rochester's Human Life Commission under Bishops Hogan and Clark. He also served concurrently with Dr. Holmsten on an Evangelization Task Force convened and led by GRAE. Bill and Dr. Holmsten were also concurrently on the Board of Crisis Pregnancy Center, now known as CompassCare Pregnancy Center. They were often a team in public presentations and debates about abortion. Bill is presently on the Board of Directors of the Charles Finney School.

In each of these positions, Bill has demonstrated his belief in the sanctity of life ethic.

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