Judicial Dispatch
The Judicial Dispatch is a publication of the New York State Bar Association’s Judicial Section.
WHO WE ARE
The Judicial Section is made up of New York judges and has a clear track record of advocating for improvements in the state’s judicial system. Section membership also offers a great opportunity for valuable interaction with peers.
Making contacts through Judicial Section membership is not limited to the courtroom. Networking with colleagues is an important part of achieving success, enhancing the professionalism of the judiciary and striking a healthy work-life balance.
SECTION BENEFITS
Join us and lend your voice to ensure your voice is heard. The Judicial Section committees address unique issues facing the duties, responsibilities, and welfare of the judiciary. The Section also provides a forum for representatives of the Council of Judicial Associations to address issues relating to legislation and court procedure.
Membership in the Judicial Section is open to a registered NYSBA member who is or has been a judge or justice of any court of the State of New York, or who resides in New York State and is or has been a judge or justice of a United States Court.
CONTACT US
To learn more about this Section, please contact Kirsten Downer
[email protected]
(518) 487-5552
Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy
NYSBA Judicial Section Presiding Member for the 2024-2025 term, Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy, is an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, appointed to the court in July 2020. Her eighteen-year career as a jurist commenced in January 2006, serving in the Criminal Court, Civil Court (including service as Supervising Judge in New York County), Family Court, and Supreme Court. Justice Kennedy’s commitment to legal education is evident in her tenure as a former Adjunct Professor at Fordham University School of Law, where she taught a Juvenile Justice seminar for ten years and participated in various continuing legal education panels, which is ongoing.
Justice Kennedy’s service extends beyond the courtroom, including her past membership on the Board of Directors of the New York City Bar Association, past chair of the organization’s Special Committee to Encourage Judicial Service, a past Executive Committee member of NYSBA’s Women in Law Section and a former member of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York. She is also co-chair of the Appellate Division, First Department Wellness Committee, a member of the Board of Overseers of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she received her law degree, a life member of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA) and former MBBA board member, and a past Advisory Board Member of Penn State Law.
As a former President of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ), Justice Kennedy organized a Legislative Caucus on Capitol Hill focusing on ensuring a healthy work environment free of sexual harassment and led NAWJ in trademarking “#WETOO IN THE LEGAL WORKPLACE, which NAWJ continues to use.
Justice Kennedy is a sought-after speaker at various conferences and the recipient of various professional achievement awards, including the 2024 Professor William Hamilton Leadership Award from the University of Florida 11th Annual E-Discovery Conference; the 2023 MBBA Jurist of the Year Award; the 2022 Award of Recognition from the New York Women’s Bar Association; the 2022 Champion for Justice Award from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Justice; the 2021 Distinguished Alumna Award from Penn State University; the 2021 NYSBA John E. Higgins, Esq. Diversity Trailblazer Award; the 2020 Inspiration Award from the NY Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law; the 2018 Brooklyn Technical High School Hall of Fame Designation; the 2017 Diversity Leadership Award from Penn State Law; and the 2015 Alumni of the Year Award from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Online Community
Judicial Section Committee
Awards
Advancement of Judicial Diversity
The NYSBA Advancement of Judicial Diversity Award serves to recognize individuals for their efforts to promote diversity on the bench throughout New York State. Recipients will embody the New York State Bar Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of the judiciary.
2024 recipient: Hon. Deborah H. Karalunas
2023 recipients: Hon. Erika M. Edwards; Hon. Sallie Manzanet-Daniels; and Hon. Lillian Wan
2022 recipient: Hon. Kathie E. Davidson
2021 recipient: Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission (awarded to its co-chairs, Hon. Shirley Troutman and Hon. Troy K. Webber on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary)
2020 recipient: Hon. Rosalyn H. Richter
2019 recipient: None
2018 recipient: Hon. George Silver
2017 recipient: Hon. William C. Thompson (ret)
2016 recipient: Hon. Edwina Richardson Mendelson
2015 recipient: Hon. Karen K. Peters
Distinguished Jurist Award
To honor a jurist who embodies the highest ideals of the Judicial Section and recognize judicial excellence and extraordinary commitment to the rule of law.
2024 recipient: Hon. James P. Murphy
2023 recipient: Hon. Hector D. LaSalle
2022 recipient: Hon. Robert G. Main, Jr.
2021 recipient: Hon. Rolando T. Acosta
2020 recipient: Chief Judge Janet M. DiFiore
2019 recipient: Hon. Raymond Lohier, Jr.
2018 recipient: Hon. Paul Feinman
2017 recipient: Hon. Lawrence K. Marks
2016 recipient: none
2015 recipient: Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin
2014 recipient: Hon. Judith S. Kaye
Lifetime Achievement Recognition:
2018 recipients: Hon. Karen Peters; Hon. Randall Eng
2017 recipient: Hon. Milton Mollen
Merit Award Honorees:
2019 recipients: Hon. Elizabeth Garry; Hon. Alan Scheinkman
Section Benefits
A combination of valuable benefits – exclusive for New York State Bar Association Judicial Section members – keep you up-to-date on the growing number of issues and concerns that face the judicial system and the legal profession.
Just for Members
FREE CLE
As an exclusive benefit for each and every member of the Judicial Section, NYSBA’s CLE Department offers six free On Demand credits on an annual basis. Choosing from NYSBA CLE’s On Demand catalog makes your programs of choice instantly accessible to you, from the comfort of your chambers or home computer. All online course materials are provided in digital form: www.nysba.org/cle-programs/.
JUDICIAL SECTION ONLINE COMMUNITY
The Judicial Section now offers a private online professional community—for Judicial Section members only! Connect with fellow members on the Judicial Section Community, featuring wide-ranging legal discussion topics, document library, and searchable member directory.
FAQ’s and Video Tutorial
ADDITIONAL MEMBER BENEFITS
- The members-only newsletter, “Judicial Dispatch,” exclusively for Judicial Section members, written by and for judges
- A discount to attend the Judicial Section Annual Meeting luncheon
- Unparalleled camaraderie among our State’s guardians of the law
REWARDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
We offer you excellent ways to enhance your knowledge and expertise by participating in Section activities, such as the Judicial Section luncheon held each year in conjunction with NYSBA’s Annual Meeting. The luncheon consists of a program featuring a prominent member of either the New York State government, the judiciary, or another speaker of interest to the judiciary on a current topic. Section members are invited to attend this program at discounted rates.
The Judicial Section also provides forums for representatives of the Council of Judicial Associations to address issues relating to legislation and court procedure. These forums take place five times per year. The activities provide your representatives with valuable ways to network with other judges from across the state, work with those colleagues who share your interests, and share information on effective advocacy techniques and efficient case management.
Legislative Priorities
Legal Links
NEW YORK STATE
- New York State Unified Court System
- NYS Legislature | locate Bill Text, Summaries, Sponsor Memos, Floor Votes
- Research & Reports
ETHICS
- NYS Unified Court System
- NYSBA
FEDERAL
- Case Law
- Code of Federal Regulations
- Federal Laws and Regulations
- Law Library of Congress Resources
- U.S. Courts
Judicial Nominations
NYS Commission on Judicial Nomination
Resources for Local and County Bar Associations
The Task Force on the Evaluation of Candidates for Election to Judicial Office was appointed in 2018 to review the existing methods of vetting judicial candidates and propose best practices, guidelines and minimum standards for review of candidates. The report and recommendations of the Task Force were adopted at the April 13, 2019 meeting of the NYSBA House of Delegates in Albany.
The Task Force, chaired by Robert L. Haig and Hon. Susan Phillips Read, found that systems utilized by bar associations vary from county to county, and it concluded that a one-size-fits-all approach for screening would not work for New York State. Where existing reviews are effective, the Task Force urged their continuation; in particular, the Task Force noted that existing systems in place in New York City, on Long Island, and several upstate urban counties – which comprise over three-quarters of the state’s population – are currently well served. For those counties not currently served by existing screening entities, the Task Force recommended the establishment of regional or district screening committees.
The Task Force developed a set of best practices to guide local bar and regional screening committees, addressing composition of the committees; use of questionnaires and the conduct of investigations; evaluation criteria; and rating and appeals processes. Several useful resources are linked below.
Press Release: State Bar Association Approves New Measures for Evaluating Judicial Candidates
Judicial Campaign Ethics Center, including Judicial Campaign Ethics Handbook
Contact:
Thomas Richards, Esq.
Director of Public Interest and Deputy General Counsel
(518) 487-5640
[email protected]
Judicial Ethics Opinions
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