Rowan D. Wilson

Rowan D. Wilson (born September 3, 1960) is an American judge who has served as a judge of the New York Court of Appeals since 2017 and as chief judge of that court since 2023. He is the first African-American to serve as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals.

Early life and education Wilson was born on September 3, 1960 in Pomona, California and grew up in Berkeley, California. His parents were schoolteachers. Wilson graduated from Harvard College in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, and from Harvard Law School in 1984 with a Juris Doctor, cum laude. At Harvard Law, he was an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer; she died while he was a student at Harvard. Wilson started working as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1986. He became a partner at the firm in 1991 and spent 30 years as a litigator there.

Wilson was nominated as an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals by Governor Andrew Cuomo on January 15, 2017 and was confirmed by the New York State Senate on February 6, 2017.

On March 24, 2023, Wilson was selected as a finalist under consideration for appointment to the New York Court of Appeals, this time for the position of chief judge following the retirement of Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and the subsequent rejection of Justice Hector LaSalle's nomination to that seat by the New York State Senate. On April 10, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wilson's nomination for Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. On April 18, the New York State Senate confirmed Wilson as Chief Judge by a vote of 40–19. Wilson was sworn in as chief judge on September 12, 2023. He is the first African-American to serve as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals.

According to Reuters, Wilson "is viewed as a liberal and has issued rulings favorable to civil rights, unions and criminal defendants". Professor Vincent Bonventre of Albany Law School has stated that Wilson is "known for his intellectual heft and his dissents, which often oppose the government and business interests". Wilson has described himself as a "progressive pragmatist".

In 2022, Wilson penned a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the court should not have dismissed a habeas corpus petition that was filed in an effort to obtain an elephant's release from the Bronx Zoo.

Personal life Wilson is married to Grace Wilson.