LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to retired Chief Judge Judith S.
Kaye upon the occasion of being honored by the Brooklyn Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project at its 20th Anniversary Gala Reception on June
15, 2010

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to organizations and individuals who have shown an enduring
commitment to improving the quality of life in their community and to
enhancing their profession and fostering the highest level of profes-
sionalism; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to pay trib-
ute to retired Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye upon the occasion of being
honored by the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project at its
20th Anniversary Gala Reception held at the Palm House at the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden on Tuesday, June 15, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Established by the Brooklyn Bar Association in 1990, the
Volunteer Lawyers Project is dedicated to ensuring that the legal system
is accessible to those who, because of special needs or the overwhelming
burdens of poverty, would not otherwise have their rights protected or
their voices heard; and
WHEREAS, As it proudly celebrated two decades of providing free legal
services to Brooklyn's neediest residents, the Brooklyn Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project honored a woman who exemplifies its worthy
purpose and who has distinguished herself in her profession and contrib-
uted to its professionalism and enhancement, retired Chief Judge of the
State of New York Judith S. Kaye; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Judith S. Kaye, retired Chief Judge of the
State of New York, was born in Monticello, New York in 1938; she earned
a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College in 1958 and her LL.B.
(Bachelor of Laws) degree from New York University School of Law, Cum
Laude, in 1962; and
WHEREAS, She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1963 and was
engaged in private practice in New York City until her appointment as an
Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals in 1983, the first woman to
serve on New York State's highest court; and
WHEREAS, In 1993, she was appointed Chief Judge, the first woman to
occupy the State's Judiciary's highest office, and served as Chief Judge
of the New York Court of Appeals for 15 years until her retirement in
2008, longer than any other Chief Judge in New York's history; and
WHEREAS, Judge Kaye gained a national reputation for both her ground-
breaking decisions and her innovative reforms of the New York court
system; she wrote notable decisions on adoption rights for gay couples
and the death penalty; she also left her mark on New York's courts as a
creative reformer, changing the jury system to eliminate exemptions and
establishing community courts to handle nonviolent crimes such as graff-
iti, shoplifting and vandalism and provide on-site services for drug
treatment, mental health counseling and job training; and
WHEREAS, In addition, she created the Adoption Now program which has
produced faster adoptions and more streamlined procedures for children
in foster care and their families; her reforms have been implemented by
many other state courts; and
WHEREAS, Judge Kaye joined Skadden's Litigation Group in 2009; she is
the author of numerous publications, including articles on legal proc-
ess, state constitutional law, women in law, professional ethics and
problem-solving courts and has been honored with several of her
profession's most prestigious awards recognizing her judicial and schol-

arly accomplishments, including the American Bar Association (ABA)
Justice Center John Marshall Award, the National Center for State
Courts' William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, the ABA
Commission on Women in the Profession's Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of
Achievement Award and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services'
Adoption Excellence Award; and
WHEREAS, Over a long and celebrated career, Judge Kaye has distin-
guished herself in her profession, devoting much of her life to public
service, contributing substantially to the judicial process and to the
preservation and protection of the rights of all citizens; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of her devotion to the law, her distinguished
record, and her contributions to the work of every office, court and
organization with which she has been associated, it is the sense of this
Legislative Body to extend its highest commendation and respectful trib-
ute to Judge Kaye; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to retired Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye upon the occasion of being
honored by the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project at its
20th Anniversary Gala Reception on June 15, 2010; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Judith S. Kaye, retired Chief Judge of the New
York State Court of Appeals.