Judith Kaye

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

Kaye 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. Chief Judge Kaye engaged in private practice in New York City 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

She 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—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.

On July 6, 2006, Judith Kaye authored an impassioned 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 departed from the dry language of the majority and admonished that while New York state has a tradition of upholding equal rights, "the court today retreats from that proud tradition."

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