He was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, and then entered college.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Siena College in 1955, and a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1958.
[1] While on this court, his most famous ruling was to annul the suspension of the license of a physician who assisted in home births, a practice that New York's Department of Health had opposed.
However, this helped to cement Cholakis' reputation as an impartial judge who valued fair rulings more than party loyalty.
[3] Cholakis assumed senior status on June 30, 1996 due to a certified disability, and died of an unspecified degenerative disorder in North Greenbush, New York, on December 1, 1996.