Judith Kaye

Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of New York (born August 4 1938) was appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo on February 22 1993, confirmed by the New York Senate on March 17, and sworn in on March 23. She is the first woman to occupy the State Judiciary's highest office.

Kaye was born in Monticello, New York. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College (1958) and a LL.B. from New York University School of Law (cum laude) (1962). She was admitted to the New York State Bar, 1963. Kaye engaged in private practice in New York City at Sullivan & Cromwell until her appointment to the Court of Appeals.

Her current posts also include service as:
* Co-Chair of the "Commission on the American Jury" of the American Bar Association (2004-05)
* Chair of the "Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children"
* Founding Member and Honorary Chair, "Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert" (JALBCA)
* Member of the Board of Editors, New York State Bar Journal
* Trustee, "William Nelson Cromwell Foundation"

Kaye has served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts (2002-03). She is the author of numerous publications—particularly articles dealing with legal process, state constitutional law, women in law, professional ethics and problem-solving courts [Kaye has written and lectured frequently about problem-solving courts. See, for example, Judith S. Kaye"Delivering Justice Today: A Problem-Solving Approach" in "Yale Law & Policy Review", Vol. 22, 2004 and Judith S. Kaye, "Making the Case for Hands-On Courts," "Newsweek", Oct. 11, 1999.] —as well as the recipient of many awards and several honorary degrees. Kaye was chief judge for the decision in People v. LaValle, the case which ruled that the state's death penalty statute was unconstitutional, in which she voted with the majority.

She has been a strong advocate of innovation in courts, promoting numerous initiatives that have served as models for other states. Under her leadership, New York State is considered a national leader in court reform efforts and in establishing problem-solving courts. [For more on New York's leading role in the problem-solving court movement, see cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/26/nyregion/26courts.html?ex=1272168000&en=f23582f0013769e6&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|title=In Problem-Solving Court, Judges Turn Therapist|publisher="New York Times" and cite web|url=http://www.courtinnovation.org/_uploads/documents/NYProblemSolvingCourts.pdf|title=New York's Problem-Solving Courts Providing Meaningful Alternatives to Traditional Remedies|publisher="New York State Bar Journal"] Working with the Fund for the City of New York, [http://www.fcny.org/fcny/] she helped established the Center for Court Innovation, [http://www.courtinnovation.org] a non-profit think tank that although independent of the court system, servesas the judiciary's research and development arm.

On July 6, 2006, Kaye authored a dissent in an omnibus appeal of four same-sex marriage disputes (including "Hernandez v. Robles") in which the majority ruled that the state constitution "does not compel recognition of marriages between members of the same sex." Kaye's dissent admonished that while New York state has a tradition of upholding equal rights, "the court today retreats from that proud tradition."

On March 17, 2008, she officially swore in David Paterson as the 55th governor of the State of New York.

She is the widow of Stephen Rackow Kaye, who practiced law in New York City; they had three children.

Kaye will retire at the end of 2008, because during that year she will reach the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/13/2008-04-13_retiring_chief_judge_judith_kayes_last_o.html]

References

* [http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/court/kaye.htm Cornell bio]

External links

* [http://www.courts.state.ny.us New York State Unified Court System]
* [http://www.courtinnovation.org Center for Court Innovation]