Richard Duncan Simons (March 23, 1927 – July 17, 2022) was an American lawyer and judge from New York.
Simons was in the United States Navy during World War II.
After the resignation of Sol Wachtler in November 1992, Simons was chosen Acting Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals.
He presided until the appointment of Judith S. Kaye in March 1993, and then resumed his seat as associate judge.
His wife Muriel died aged 64 in March 1992 at the Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital in Syracuse, New York, after being treated for a lymphoma with a wrong drug.