E. Leo Milonas

Elias Leo Milonas (October 23, 1936 – January 2, 2024) was an American judge and lawyer who served for 26 years as a judge in New York State. He chaired the New York Commission on Judicial Nomination from 2019 until his death, and retired from his position as a partner with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop at the end of 2023.

Background Elias Leo Milonas, the son of Greek immigrant parents, was born in 1936 and grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. He graduated from the City College of New York with a bachelor's degree in 1957, and from Brooklyn Law School with an L.L.B. in 1960.

Personal life and death Milonas married Helen Gamanos in 1960, and they had two daughters. He died of heart failure on January 2, 2024, at his home in Riverdale, Bronx. He was 87.