Hon. Alan J Saks (retired) died peacefully in Bronx, NY on January 16, 2026 at age 93. Born January 9, 1933 in Queens NY to Arthur (Sklarsky) Saks (a surplus goods merchant) and Helen D (Herman) Saks, he attended Queens College and received his JD from Cornell University Law School. He entered the bar in New York State in 1957 and the same year moved to Bronx, NY, where he resided with his wife Irene (“Judy:) for the rest of his life. He worked in the New York State Commission of Human Rights, and beginning in 1981 served as a judge for the Civil Court of the City of New York. In 1988, he joined the Bronx County Supreme Court in the 12th Judicial District of New York. He was known during his judicial tenure for his deep commitment to mediation and arbitration, and for witty and compassionate turns of phrase. He retired from the bench in 2009. He served on Community Board 8 and was a Democratic district leader. He was a lifelong progressive and Reform Democrat.
Alan married his wife of seven decades, Irene Judith “Judy” (Auslander) Saks in 1956. The couple bought into the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, adjacent to Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park in 1957, and were ranked among the Amalgamated’s longest-running cooperators. There they raised their two daughters Eva and Nina. They were summer residents of Stephentown, NY, a community the family dearly loved.
Alan was a prodigious consumer of political news, a master of the New York Times crossword puzzles, and an avid Yankees fan.
Alan’s brother Eugene David Saks died in 2001; daughter Nina Helen Saks died in 1989. Alan is survived by his wife Judy of the Bronx, daughter Eva of Van Nuys, California, niece Bonnie Auslander of Lyons, Colorado, nephew Mark Auslander of Washington DC, great- niece Nina Auslander-Padgham, great-nephew Milo Glover, and many cousins.
Memorial service and interment details will be announced at a later date.
Mark Auslander 