Kaye
ALBANY – Former New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye died Wednesday night. The Monticello native was 77.
“Throughout her more than 25-year career in public service, Chief Judge Kaye was a force for progress who had a profound impact on our state,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Sullivan County Supreme Court Justice Frank LaBuda said Judge Kaye was “an inspiration” to all.
As a local citizen, LaBuda said they had an extra special tie to Judge Kaye.
“We also here in Sullivan County had a very personal connection with Judge Kaye because she was a native of Monticello, New York and she was the highest judicial position here in New York State as the chief judge of the court of appeals,” he said.
State Senator John Bonacic (R, Mt. Hope) represents Sullivan County and
is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said she was “not
only an inspiration to countless young female legal professionals, but
also a model on how to work through complex legal issues and arrive at
decisions that were fair and just to everyone involved.”
Kaye was the first female Court of Appeals judge and later the first female chief judge, serving in that role for over 15 years. “She was an exemplary role model for women everywhere,” Cuomo said, noting it was his father, then Governor Mario Cuomo, who appointed her to the appeals court.
She retired from the bench at age 70, as mandated by state law.
