Paterson Taps Lippman As State's Chief Judge

JONATHAN LIPPMAN: Record on reforms cited.

Governor Paterson Jan. 14 named Appellate Division Presiding Justice Jonathan Lippman as Chief Judge of the state Court of Appeals after a nomination process during which Mr. Paterson publicly questioned the choices presented to him because they were all male.

Justice Lippman, who served 11 years as Chief Administrative Judge, has presided over the First Judicial Department since May 2007. If confirmed as Chief Judge by the State Senate, he would preside over a court that disposed of nearly 4,000 matters in 2007, including 185 appeals, and would oversee a judiciary comprised by 1,210 judges, 2,250 village and town justices, and nearly 20,000 nonjudicial court personnel.

'An Outstanding Jurist'

At a press conference in Albany, Mr. Paterson called Mr. Lippman, who spent nearly his whole career in the state court system, an "outstanding jurist" and a "tremendous appointment."

"As Chief Administrative Judge from January 1996 to May 2007, Judge Lippman led the implementation of nationally significant reforms, including jury reform, contributed to the creation of problem-solving courts, such as special drug courts and domestic violence courts, and played an integral role in keeping the courts open after the attacks on 9/11," Mr. Paterson said.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver also praised Justice Lippman for his role as Chief Administrative Judge. "You took a tremendous responsibility and transformed it with your leadership and your vision," he said to his old friend from Manhattan's Lower East Side. "You are a credit to all who strive to give back through public service."

Upon accepting the nomination, the lifelong civil servant's voice wavered with the emotion of the moment. "I really could not be more thrilled to be nominated to be the next Chief Judge," Mr. Lippman said. "If confirmed I would look forward with great anticipation and enthusiasm to serve with the great judges on the court. Nothing would give me more pleasure."

Praise for Kaye

Justice Lippman said he would follow the lead of his predecessor, Judith S. Kaye, who stepped down Jan. 1 because she turned 70—the maximum age a judge can serve without a waiver— last year. "Judge Kaye has written the script; her contributions are unmatched in the history of New York State," he said in Albany.

The Committee on Judicial Nomination, which is tasked with presenting seven names to the Governor for him to select a successor, Dec. 1 gave Mr. Paterson a list of seven men to replace the first female Chief Judge.

"The issue is not the merit of the candidates," he said at a press conference at his city office Dec. 3. "They are outstanding. I don't accept that there wasn't a woman able to be chosen to serve as head of the Court of Appeals."

At the time, four women served as judges on the court.

In an interview the day after his selection by the Governor, Justice Lippman said, "I believe that we should continue our efforts to make the courts responsive to the public we serve. The courts are an agent of reform. We have to be accountable and open in order to earn the public's confidence."

Mr. Lippman declined to say whether it bothered him when the Governor initially rejected the list with his name on it. "I'm flattered to be on the list and flattered by the Governor's confidence," he said. "The list is a separate issue."

Judge Kaye briefly wished Mr. Lippman well in his new role. "I'm sad to say, I'm happy to say, I'll always be here for you," she said.

Will Keep Pressing on Pay

Mr. Paterson said he would miss her, but for another reason. "I'm going to miss my morning phone call from Judge Kaye to talk about judicial pay raises, and in fact I'm going to miss my afternoon phone call, too," he said. "Maybe she'll just call to see how I'm doing."

Mr. Lippman, who if confirmed would earn $156,000 a year, said he would continue to seek a raise for state judges. After the Legislature froze judge pay for a decade, Ms. Kaye filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court last April to try to force a pay increase for judges.