MONTICELLO – Shattering glass ceilings and carrying forward a local legacy are only some of the characteristics of the ever progressing career of the former Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan.

Forging onward, Galligan was sworn into office as Sullivan County’s first woman to be seated on New York’s Supreme Court for the Third Judicial District. The ceremony was held at the Lawrence H. Cooke Courthouse in Monticello on December 30. 

Former District Attorney Steve Lungen hired Galligan in 2009. Over the next decade, she ascended to the position of Chief Assistant District Attorney. Galligan was appointed Acting District Attorney in 2020 following the election of Jim Farrell to the position of Sullivan County Court Judge. In 2021, Galligan was elected to a full term, becoming the first woman in Sullivan County history to do so.

Galligan’s election as New York State Supreme Court Justice marks another historic milestone.

With her family, friends, fellow Judges and Sullivan County residents looking on, Galligan took the oath of office, which was administered by retired NYS Appellate Court Justice Anthony Kane. According to Justice Kane, Galligan is also the youngest person from Sullivan County to ever reach the position of New York Supreme Court Justice.

In addition to being sworn in as NYS Supreme Court Justice, Galligan was gifted with a bouquet of flowers after she announced her recent engagement to now fiancé Dan Spagnoli. 

Vice President of the Sullivan County Bar Association Bill Chellis invited Galligan before the crowd for the ceremonial bestowing of the judicial robe. Joining Chellis and Galligan were brothers George and Edward Cooke, sons of Justice Lawrence H. Cooke.

In a tribute to the namesake of the courthouse, Galligan was presented with the refitted robes once worn by Justice Lawrence H. Cooke himself. 

The costs for the resizing of the robe was payed for by the Sullivan County Bar Association.

In his opening remarks before Galligan donned Justice Cooke’s former judicial robe, Commissioner of Jurors, George Cooke, noted that throughout Galligan’s election campaign across the Third Judicial District’s seven counties, she garnered over 167,000 votes. 

Cooke went on to say that those thousands of voters selected the “best, most qualified woman for the position,” and exclaimed his excitement for Galligan’s future. 

Joining in the sentiment, Justice Kane spoke prior to administring the oath.

“The Galligans are a family with a tradition of public service that goes back not decades, but generations,” Justice Kane said. “Meagan, as a member of that family, possesses all of the Galligan qualities that have made her an estimable person and citizen, and will make her an outstanding jurist.”

Justice Kane continued, “I am confident that she will exercise the enormous power of her office, in the words of the jury swearing, without fear or favor, and with the dignity that the office demands.” 

Galligan took to the podium soon after completing her oath and donning her official Judiciary robe for the very first time.

“I appear before you today with deep gratitude for all of the blessings in my life, including the family and friends who have stood beside me through some of the best and some of the most difficult times of my life,” Justice Galligan said.

Justice Galligan spoke in turn with loving remarks to each of her immediate family members, including her children Thomas and Ethan and fiancé Dan.

“They say the Law is reason - free from passion. I have thought about that a lot lately and I think I disagree,” Galligan said. “Our laws are often born out of passion, and litigants are more often than not full of passion themselves. I don’t think that is something to be discouraged.”

“And so a Judge is called upon to be a neutral arbiter and to apply these laws and arguments full of vim and vigor in an impartial, reasonable, fair way. In my view, our Judiciary is charged with upholding our democracy, where all men and women are created equal, and entitled to equal treatment and equal rights under the law.”

Justice Galligan also noted that with one chapter beginning, another must end – giving her farewells to her former colleagues and members of law enforcement that worked so closely with her in her position as DA.

“For more than a decade, we have been tested time and time again,” Galligan said. “I am confident that the good we have done for our community will live on, and that each of you will continue to put public safety before everything else to get the job done.”

“It is an honor to stand here as the first female Supreme Court Justice from Sullivan County, but it is an even greater honor to represent each of you on the bench – thank you,” Galligan said.