Judicial Section

JUDICIAL SECTION AWARD WINNERS 2027

Hon. Norman St. George
First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge

Distinguished Jurist Award
To honor a jurist who embodies the highest ideals of the Judicial Section and to recognize judicial excellence and extraordinary commitment to the rule of law.

Hon. Norman St. George was appointed as First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, the second-highest ranking administration position within the New York State Judiciary, effective May 19, 2023. The appointment was made by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas, with the consultation and approval of Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson and in consultation with the Presiding Justices of the Appellate Divisions. In this capacity and on behalf of the Chief Administrative Judge, Judge St. George oversees all trial-level courts throughout the State, as well as all departments and operations within the Office of Court Administration. He also directly supervises the courts in the Tenth Judicial District, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Immediately prior to his current position, Judge St. George served as the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Courts Outside of New York City. In that role, he worked with local Administrative Judges in overseeing implementation of the court system’s programs and initiatives and in optimizing allocation of personnel and other court resources to meet the needs and goals of the courts. Additionally, he was responsible for oversight of New York’s Town and Village Courts.

Judge St. George is an elected Justice of the Supreme Court for the 10th Judicial Department. Judge St. George served as the District Administrative Judge for all courts in Nassau County from 2019 through August of 2021. In that capacity, Judge St. George oversaw the Supreme Court, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate Court, District Court, and all City and Village Courts. From 2013 through 2018, Judge St. George served as the Supervising Judge of the Nassau County District Court. The Nassau County District Court is comprised of both criminal and civil courts and it is one of the busiest courts in New York State, handling over one hundred thousand criminal and civil cases each year.

Judge St. George served as an elected Nassau County Court Judge and an Acting Supreme Court Justice from 2008 to 2018. In 2018, Judge St. George established Nassau County’s Youth Part under New York State’s Raise the Age Law. While presiding over the Youth Part, Judge St. George published cases of first impression interpreting the Raise the Age Law. As an Acting Supreme Court Justice, Judge St. George presided over serious felony criminal cases, commercial cases, medical malpractice cases, and oversaw the Integrated Domestic Violence Court, the Domestic Violence Court and the Sex Offense Court.

Judge St. George served as an elected District Court Judge from 2004 to 2008. In addition to presiding over criminal and civil cases, Judge St. George was charged with the responsibility of establishing Nassau County’s first misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court. Judge St. George also established and presided over a Driving While Intoxicated Court. Judge St. George lectures at the Judicial Institute and at various Bar Associations on criminal and civil trial practice.

Prior to ascending to the bench, Judge St. George practiced law for sixteen years as a federal and state trial attorney. After graduating from Hofstra Law School, he worked as a Tax Attorney with Arthur Anderson and Company. He then began his litigation training at the Garden City law firm of Reisch, Simoni, Bythewood & Gleason. Judge St. George handled an extensive caseload of criminal and civil cases, including major Federal criminal and civil RICO actions.

Thereafter, Judge St. George served as an Assistant District Attorney for the County of Nassau under District Attorney Denis Dillon. He served in the District Court Bureau, Felony Screening Bureau, Grand Jury Bureau and County Court Bureau. Judge St. George left the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office to become a partner in the Wall Street firm of Jackson, Brown, Powell and St. George, LLP. In addition to being responsible for all the firm’s civil litigation, Judge St. George served as the managing partner. Judge St. George next established his own law firm with offices in Mineola and Manhattan. Judge St. George successfully tried numerous federal and state criminal cases, federal copyright infringement cases, commercial litigation cases, and personal injury cases. Two of Judge St. George’s trial verdicts were reported by the Jury Verdict Reporter. While a practicing attorney, Judge St. George frequently appeared on Court Television as a trial commentator.

Hon. Anne-Marie Jolly
Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court

Distinguished Jurist Award
To honor a jurist who embodies the highest ideals of the Judicial Section and to recognize judicial excellence and extraordinary commitment to the rule of law.

Hon. Anne-Marie Jolly serves as the Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court. Immediately prior to her appointment as Administrative Judge, Judge Jolly served for six years as the Deputy Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court. She was first appointed to the Family Court judicial bench in September 2010 and has continuously served as a trial judge, first in Bronx County and most recently in Queens County.

Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Jolly served as counsel to the Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court. Before serving as counsel to the Administrative Judge, Judge Jolly served for over five years as a court attorney referee in Queens County Family Court where she presided over child protective hearings, child custody and visitation matters, termination of parental rights proceedings and adoptions. Before taking the bench, Judge Jolly was a trial attorney and supervising attorney with the Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division, where she represented children and youth in Family Court cases.

Judge Jolly developed her administrative expertise as a result of the many management positions she has held, including several supervising attorney positions with the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division which culminated in her appointment as the deputy attorney-in-charge in both the Queens and Brooklyn offices. In 2005, she was selected to be the deputy attorney in charge of the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division (now Practice). She was later appointed counsel to the Office of Court Administration’s Office of Family Services (subsequently renamed the Office of Matrimonial and Family Law Study and Reform) which explored the provision of services to families involved in custody matters in both Supreme and Family Courts. Thereafter, Judge Jolly served as counsel to the New York State Judicial Institute and as an assistant to the chief magistrate of the New York City Family Courts. She then was appointed deputy chief magistrate for the New York City Family Court. As counsel to the New York State Judicial Institute, Judge Jolly assisted in the development and implementation of educational programs provided to the New York State judiciary, judicial & quasi-judicial hearing officers, support magistrates and court attorneys.

Judge Jolly co-chairs the New York State Permanent Commission on Justice for Families, is a member of the New York State Family Court Advisory and Rules Committee, also a member of the UCS Advisory Committee on Language Access and has also served as a New York State Judicial Institute faculty trainer of Family Court judges, Family Court referees and court attorneys. She has presented at training programs sponsored by The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, the Queens County chapter of the National Association of Women Judges, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ Adoption Forum, and various other agencies.

Judge Jolly earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.

Hon. Krishna K. Singh
Administrative Judge, Fourth Judicial District

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 embody the New York State Bar Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of the judiciary.

Hon. Krishna K. Singh is a New York State Supreme Court Justice and the Administrative Judge of the Fourth Judicial District. He has served the New York State Unified Court System for more than twenty-three years, beginning in 2003, after seven years in private practice focused on civil litigation and estate matters.

During his court career, Judge Singh served as Principal Court Attorney to several New York State Supreme Court Justices, two Administrative Judges of the Fourth Judicial District, and the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Courts Outside New York City. In those roles, he drafted hundreds of decisions and orders, assisted judges and court personnel throughout the district, helped implement statewide initiatives of the Office of Court Administration, and was appointed to numerous statewide task forces dedicated to improving the court system.

Judge Singh was elected Montgomery County Surrogate in November 2022, appointed Administrative Judge of the Fourth Judicial District in December 2023, and elected a New York State Supreme Court Justice in November 2025. From 2023 through 2025, he also served as an Acting Family Court Judge and Acting County Court Judge, presiding in Surrogate’s, Family, and County Courts before taking the Supreme Court bench.  As Administrative Judge, Judge Singh oversees court operations throughout the eleven counties of the Fourth Judicial District, which spans from Schenectady to the Canadian border.

The son of Indian immigrants, Judge Singh is the first Asian American Surrogate in New York State, the first Asian American elected as a Supreme Court Justice outside New York City, and the first Asian American appointed Administrative Judge of a judicial district in New York State.

Judge Singh earned his Bachelor of Science in Management/Finance from Binghamton University in 1992 and his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1995.

Judge Singh is active in his community and previously served as President of the Montgomery County Bar Association, President of the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation, and President of the Sarah Jane Sanford Home for Elderly Women, among his other community involvements. He has resided in Montgomery County for more than thirty years with his wife, Sunita, and their two children, Devan and Kiran.

Hon. Javier E. Vargas
Court of Claims Judge and Co-Chair of the Failla LGBTQ Commission

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 embody the New York State Bar Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of the judiciary.

Hon. Javier E. Vargas was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul and confirmed by the New York State Senate for the NYS Court of Claims on June 3, 2022.  With that appointment, he became the first openly gay Latino judge in the Court of Claims.  Previously, Judge Vargas served as a Judge in the Family Court of the State of New York, Kings County, appointed in 2015.  Between 2013 and 2015, Judge Vargas began his judicial career as a Civil Court Judge assigned to the Housing Part in Bronx County.  Prior thereto, Judge Vargas served with distinction for the New York State Unified Court System in various capacities since 1993, including Senior Court Attorney in the New York State Court of Appeals; Principal Law Clerk in Supreme Court and the Appellate Division, Second Department; and Chief Court Attorney for the NYS Supreme Court, Appellate Term, First Department.  Judge Vargas received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, law degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Law, and a Master of Law degree from New York University School of Law in 1993.

Judge Vargas has moderated and lectured on numerous panels of Continuing Legal Education courses in the areas of the Child Victims Act, Domestic Relations, Housing and Family Laws, domestic violence, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, diversity/intersectionality and virtual courtroom protocols and evidence presentation.  He mentors law students, attorneys and encourages judicial service by presenting and moderating yearly Pathways to the Judiciary programs. Judge Vargas holds leadership roles as Chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Judicial Division, Co-Chair of the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the NYS Courts and serves as Vice President of the Latino Judges Association.  He is also actively involved with other professional associations such as the New York City Bar Association, the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, the NYS Court of Claims Judges Association and the NYS Association of LGBTQ Judges, where he sat as a board member.  Among the previous positions he has held are HNBA Regional Deputy President for several years; President-Elect of the Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA); Chair of the PRBA Scholarship Fund Selection Committee and Committee Member of the LGBT Bar Association Judicial Internship Committee, selecting hundreds of law student scholarship recipients.

Judge Vargas has received several accolades, including the 2025 Action in Justice Award from Governor Hochul; 2024 Distinguished Citizen Award from his birthplace Arecibo, Puerto Rico; 2022 President’s Award from the International Association of LGBTQ Judges; 2020 SUNY Law School OutLaw Award; 2018 Spirit Award by the Cervantes Society; 2017 HNBA Latino Judge of the Year; and a 2016 Recognition Award by the Association of Housing Court Judges.

Hon. Barbara R. Kapnick
Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department

Lifetime Achievement Recognition
The Lifetime Achievement Recognition celebrates a judge whose extraordinary career embodies the highest ideals of the judiciary. The recipient’s enduring contributions to the administration of justice, mentorship of others, and dedication to public trust have created a legacy that will continue to influence the courts for years to come.

Hon. Barbara R. Kapnick was born in New York City, received her bachelor’s degree cum laude from Barnard College and her juris doctor from Boston University School of Law.  She was elected to the Civil Court in 1991, appointed an Acting Supreme Court Justice in April 1994, and was elected to the Supreme Court, New York County in 2001. She was assigned to the Commercial Division in 2008, where she handled many complex and high-profile cases, and was appointed to the Appellate Division, First Department in January 2014. Justice Kapnick was a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics from June 2008 – June 2018 and now serves on its Ethics Faculty. She also served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the New York County Public Access Law Library from 2008 to 2014. In December 2015, she was appointed to the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, promoting racial and ethnic fairness in the courts, and in October 2017 she was appointed to the Commercial Division Advisory Council.

Justice Kapnick served as President of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York in 2022 and was the President of the Supreme Court Justices Association of the City of New York from 2013-2014.  She served as Presiding Member of the Judicial Section of the New York State Bar Association from June 2020-May 2021 and is also a member of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, as well as the Trial Lawyers Section. In addition, she is a long-time member of the New York City Bar Association, where she currently serves on the Council on Judicial Administration, and is a member of the New York County Lawyers Association.

Justice Kapnick is a Master of the New York American Inn of Court and past president of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, where she remains active as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a longstanding member of the New York Women’s Bar Association and a member of the New York Women Judges Association.

A frequent lecturer for many Bar Associations, Justice Kapnick has received numerous awards, including the Benjamin N. Cardozo Award from the Jewish Lawyers Guild, the Harlan Fiske Stone Memorial Award from the New York City Trial Lawyers Association, the Women’s History Month Flor de Maga Award from the Puerto Rican Bar Association, the Distinguished Jurist Award from the Defense Association of New York, the Outstanding Jurist Award from the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, the Lenore Kramer Women’s Advocacy Award from the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Justice Louis J. Capozzoli Gavel Award from the New York County Lawyers Association.