MAYOR BLOOMBERG SWEARS IN TWENTY-SEVEN JUDGES Yesterday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg swore in 27 judges to serve in the City's Family, Criminal, and Civil Courts. The swearing-in ceremony included the appointment of three new Family Court judges, four new Criminal Court judges, and two new Civil Court judges. The Mayor also reappointed six Family Court judges, ten Criminal Court judges, and two Civil Court judges. Mayor Bloomberg was joined by Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs Carol Robles-Román at the swearing-in ceremony in the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building.
"The men and women being sworn in today face many difficult questions affecting the safety, rights and future of thousands of New Yorkers," said Mayor Bloomberg. "New Yorkers deserve judges with the temperament, character, and deep understanding, both of the law and also of human experience, needed to administer justice fairly and wisely. I am confident that our Family, Criminal and Civil Court judges being appointed and re-appointed today meet the high standards that New Yorkers have come to expect."
The Mayor swore in the following judges:
New Appointments
Family Court
Honorable Maria Arias was appointed as a Family Court Judge in January 2010. She is a graduate of the University of Rochester and received her law degree from New York University School of Law. Prior to her appointment, Judge Arias was a Clinical Law Professor for C.U.N.Y. Law School, Main Street Legal Services, Battered Women's Rights Clinic. Prior to that, she was a staff attorney for the Council of New York Law Associates' Community Development Legal Assistance Center and for the Legal Aid Society's Volunteer Division, Community Law Offices. Judge Arias resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Ronald Richter was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in January 2009 and has been serving in the Family Court. He graduated from Tufts University, received his law degree from Boston University School of Law, and a master's degree from Boston University College of Communication. Prior to his appointment, Judge Richter served as the New York City Family Services Coordinator for the Mayor's Office, Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Administration for Children's Services, and Deputy Attorney-in-Charge of the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society. He resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Karen Wolff was appointed as a Family Court Judge in January 2010. She is a graduate of S.U.N.Y. Albany and received her law degree from Union University at Albany Law School. Prior to her appointment, Judge Wolff was a Special Referee of a Matrimonial Part, and Court Attorney of the Supreme Court, Richmond County. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the New York City Law Department's Medical Malpractice Unit. She was also a Past President of the Staten Island Women's Bar Association. Judge Wolff resides in Staten Island.
Criminal Court
Honorable Tamiko Amaker was appointed as a Criminal Court Judge in January 2010. She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her law degree from Fordham Law School. Judge Amaker spent her entire legal career in the Bronx District Attorney's Office where she last served as Deputy Chief of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Bureau. She resides in Manhattan.
Honorable George Grasso was appointed to the Criminal Court in January 2010. He received his undergraduate degree from York College and his law degree from St. John's University School of Law. Judge Grasso served with the New York City Police Department for almost 30 years, having started as a patrol officer while attending law school. He quickly rose through the ranks within various offices and served as Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters and last served as First Deputy Police Commissioner. Judge Grasso resides in Queens.
Honorable Mario Mattei was appointed as a Criminal Court Judge in January 2010. He received his undergraduate degree from S.U.N.Y. at Cortland and his law degree from New York Law School. He served with the Richmond County District Attorney's Office for nearly 25 years, having last served as Chief of the Investigations Bureau. Judge Mattei was a past President of the Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association. He resides in Staten Island.
Honorable Michael Yavinsky was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in January 2009 and has been serving in the Criminal Court. He received his undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. Judge Yavinsky was formerly with the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Division, Queens Law Associates, and the New York State Unified Court System where he last served as Chief Court Attorney for New York City Criminal Court. He resides in Queens.
Civil Court
Honorable Diana Boyar was appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in January 2010 and has been serving in the Criminal Court. She graduated from The University of Arizona and received her law degree from Temple Law School. She was a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Division and was a supervisor for the Brooklyn Defender Services. Judge Boyar resides in Brooklyn.
Honorable Ilana Gruebel was appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in January 2010 and has been serving in the Family Court. She graduated from S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton and received her law degree from S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo. She served as a Bureau Chief of the Family Court Division of the Nassau County Legal Aid Society, she served in the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Division in New York City, and was most recently a Court Attorney Referee in Family Court, Kings County. Judge Gruebel resides in Brooklyn.
Reappointments
Family Court
Honorable Sidney Gribetz was first appointed to the Family Court in May 1999. He graduated from Columbia College and received his law degree from Fordham Law School. Judge Gribetz formerly served as a Law Clerk and Executive Secretary for the Appellate Division, First Department and was an associate at a law firm. Judge Gribetz resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Paula Hepner was first appointed to the Family Court in August 1990. She received her undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and her law degree from Hofstra University School of Law. Judge Hepner is currently the Supervising Judge of Kings and Richmond County Family Court. Her prior employment includes Director of the Handicapped Children's Rights Project for Advocates for Children of New York, as well as Supervising Attorney for the Human Resources Administration's Manhattan Family Court, Child Abuse and Neglect Unit. Judge Hepner resides in Brooklyn.
Honorable Susan Larabee was first appointed to the Family Court in March 1989. She graduated from Indiana University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law. Judge Larabee's prior employment includes Attorney-in-Charge of Manhattan Family Court for the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Division, as well as Deputy General Counsel for New York City's Human Resources Administration. Judge Larabee was the former President of the New York State Family Court Judges' Association and of the New York City Family Court Judges' Association. She resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Arnold Lim was first appointed to the Family Court in February 2000. He received his undergraduate degree from City College, his master's degree from Hunter College School of Social Work, and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Judge Lim was previously the Deputy Borough Chief of the Queens County Family Court Division of the New York City Law Department, as well as the Deputy Executive Director of the Mayoral Task Force on Police-Community Relations for the Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator. Judge Lim resides in Staten Island.
Honorable Jane Pearl was first appointed to the Family Court in February 2000. She received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University, her master's degree and Ph.D from Northwestern University, and her law degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. Judge Pearl previously served as a Court Attorney Referee in New York County Family Court. She resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Carol Stokinger was appointed to the Family Court in February 2000. She graduated from Mt. Holyoke and received her law degree from Columbia University School of Law. She is currently the Supervising Judge of Queens County Family Court. Judge Stokinger was previously with the New York County District Attorney's Office for almost 23 years having last served as the Bureau Chief of the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau. She resides in Manhattan.
Criminal Court
Honorable Neil Firetog, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in March 1983. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. He formerly served with the Kings County District Attorney's Office and the United States Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force. Judge Firetog resides in Brooklyn.
Honorable Bernard Fried, currently serving as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in May 1980. He received his bachelor's degree from Alfred University and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. His prior employment includes the United States Attorney's Office where he last served as Chief Assistant United States Attorney, as well as the New York State Court of Appeals as a law clerk. Judge Fried resides in Manhattan.
Honorable William Garnett, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in August 1991. He received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University, his law degree from Brooklyn Law School, and his L.L.M. from New York University School of Law. Judge Garnett was previously with the Richmond County District Attorney's Office where he last served as Supreme Court Bureau Chief, as well as the Kings County District Attorney's Office where he last served as Senior Trial Assistant of the Homicide Bureau. Judge Garnett resides in Staten Island.
Honorable Alexander Jeong was appointed to the Criminal Court in October 2005. He is a graduate of Colgate University and received his law degree from George Washington University School of Law. Judge Jeong was previously with the Kings County District Attorney's Office where he last served as the Bureau Chief of the Criminal Court. He resides in Staten Island.
Honorable Salvatore Modica, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in December 2001. He graduated from the University of Arizona and received his law degree from St. John's University School of Law. Judge Modica was a former Assistant District Attorney in Queens and a Principal Court Attorney in Supreme Court, Bronx County. He resides in Queens.
Honorable William Mogulescu, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in October 1990. He graduated from Clark University and received his law degree from New York University School of Law. He was previously in private practice including as a partner in a law firm. Judge Mogulescu resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Ruth Pickholz, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in December 1990. She received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College and her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Judge Pickholz previously served with the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Division and with the Mayor's Office as an Acting Criminal Justice Coordinator. She was a former President of the Criminal Court Judges Association. Judge Pickholz resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Charles Solomon, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in February 1986. He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Prior to his appointment, Judge Solomon served with the New York County District Attorney's Office and was also in private practice. He resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Patricia Williams, currently an Acting Supreme Court Justice, was first appointed to the Criminal Court in February 1986. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, her master's degree from Columbia University, and her law degree from Yale University. She was a former Assistant United States Attorney and an associate for a law firm. Judge Williams resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Joseph Zayas was appointed to the Criminal Court in June 2003. He received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University and his law degree from Columbia University School of Law. Judge Zayas was previously with the Legal Aid Society having served as Senior Staff Attorney of the Criminal Appeals Bureau, Criminal Defense Division, and the Capital Defense Unit. He also served as Principal Court Attorney for the Harlem Community Justice Center. Judge Zayas resides in Queens.
Civil Court
Honorable David Godosky was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in January 2009 and has been serving in the Criminal Court. Judge Godosky received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and his law degree from Cornell Law School. He served with the Bronx County District Attorney's Office and was an associate at a private law firm. He resides in Manhattan.
Honorable Robert Kalish was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in October 2005. He has been presiding in Criminal Court and previously in Civil Court. Judge Kalish received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, his law degree from Brooklyn Law School, and his L.L.M. from New York University Law School. Judge Kalish was with the New York City Law Department for nearly 30 years where he last served as the Chief of Brooklyn's Tort Division. Judge Kalish resides in Manhattan.
The Family Court of the State of New York in the City of New York has jurisdiction over the protection, treatment, correction, and commitment of minors in need due to neglect, delinquency, or dependency. It also deals with the custody of minors, adoptions, support of dependents, establishment of paternity, proceedings of conciliation, and guardianship. The Family Court of the State of New York is comprised of 47 judges, appointed by the Mayor for 10-year terms in counties within the City of New York.
The New York City Criminal Court is a court of citywide criminal jurisdiction with authority over crimes and other violations of law. The Criminal Court is comprised of 107 judges, appointed by the Mayor for 10-year terms.
The New York City Civil Court is a court of citywide civil jurisdiction with authority over the actions and proceedings for the recovery of money, the recovery of chattels, and liens on personal property where the amount sought to be recovered or the value of property does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. New York City Civil Court judges are elected; however, the Mayor has the power to appoint interim Civil Court judges to fill vacancies arising on the Civil Court after the election in November. These interim Civil Court judges serve until the vacancies can be filled in the next year's election, but they are usually assigned to sit in Family or Criminal Court.
All appointments and re-appointments made by the Mayor were nominated by the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. The Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary nominates three candidates for each vacant judgeship, and the Mayor selects judges from among that group. For re-appointments, the Mayor's Advisory Committee recommends whether or not to reappoint each judge, and the Mayor then decides whether to make the reappointment. All of the judges appointed and re-appointed have also been found qualified by the Judiciary Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. All nominations were reviewed by Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs Carol Robles-Román, Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt.