It has been a pleasure to serve as the Dean of the New York State Judicial Institute for the past year. I am grateful for this opportunity and thank Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks for their ongoing support. It has been very enlightening and illuminating to hear from most of … Continued

Greetings! I am honored to serve as Presiding Member of the Judicial Section and to follow in the footsteps of the Presiding Members who served before me. As I reflect on this new role that I assumed in June, I recognize that I am the first Latina to serve as Presiding Member of our almost … Continued

Judicial Section Officers Hon. Joanne D. Quiñones Judicial Section Presiding Member, 2022–23 Hon. Joanne D. Quiñones is a judge of the Court of Claims and Acting Justice of the Supreme Court in Kings County, where she handles both criminal and matrimonial matters. She is the first Latina to hold the position of Presiding Member of … Continued

Hon. Shahabuddeen A. Ally Asian American Judges Association of New York Hon. Shahabuddeen (Shah) A. Ally is the Supervising Judge of New York County Civil Court. Shah was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 2018 and began his judicial career in the Bronx Criminal Court. Shah was elected as President of the … Continued

The theme for my presidential year is “Investing in the Future of Our Profession,” and the Judicial Section, which has the distinction of being NYSBA’s longest-running section, stands to play a key role in informing and executing that vision. Nearly 100 years ago, NYSBA convened a meeting of judges in the state to obtain their … Continued

On February 8, 2016, the day of my investiture as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York, I shared my vision for the future of the New York State courts, a vision founded on the “Excellence Initiative,” a top-to-bottom re-examination of court operations and processes focused on achieving operational … Continued

Let me start by confessing that I am not a trained professional in the area of wellness or self-care, but rather a human being with many of the same demands as you. I have read countless books and articles, watched zillions (not an exaggeration) of videos, and tried a multitude of suggestions. What I offer … Continued

To all of my judicial colleagues, it was my privilege to preside over the Judicial Section’s Annual Meeting during Bar Week in January. Again, it was held virtually, but we did our best to preserve comradery and our traditions even within the limitations of remote conferencing. And, as we have now resurrected the Judicial Dispatch, I … Continued

On June 30, 2022, I had the honor of participating as a panelist with the Hon. Robert Bogle, Hon. David Elliot and Hon. Vito M. DeStefano, on behalf of the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics (ACJE), in the Ethics Plenary session for week one of the Judicial Seminars. Our presentation addressed how … Continued

It has been just over two years since our nation, amidst the hardships of a relentless international pandemic, watched in collective horror as the tragic killing of George Floyd was replayed on our televisions, our phones, and in our homes. In the national reckoning on issues of racism, bias, and intolerance that followed, inequality was … Continued