By Karen Wolfgang-Swanson     

Dec. 2, 2015:  Bronxville resident Janet DiFiore was nominated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday to be chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, according to an announcement on the governor's website. DiFiore is currently the Westchester County district attorney.

DiFiore's appointment is subject to confirmation by the New York State Senate. The senate has 30 days to confirm nominees to the Court of Appeals, but an article by Reuters posted on the New York Times website yesterday notes that confirmation proceedings might not be held until January (ignoring the 30-day deadline can be done without penalty), adding, "The Senate has never rejected a governor's nominee for a seat on the court."

The lohud website explains, "The chief judge position is the most important on the court because the person oversees the court's day-to-day operations and can set policy initiatives--either administratively or by pushing for laws through the state Legislature."

Only one other woman, Judith Kaye, has served as chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals; she was nominated by Governor Mario Cuomo. Former Chief Judge Kaye, along with Chief Judge Lippman and the members of the judicial nomination commission, recommended "a truly exceptional list of candidates," said the governor as quoted on his website, from which the governor chose DiFiore.

If confirmed, she will succeed Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, described by the New York Times as "one of the most prominent state judges in the country. . . [and] known for his aggressive advocacy for enhanced legal services for low-income people." He must step down at the end of December because he will have reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

DiFiore has served as Westchester district attorney since 2006, and before that she served as Westchester County Court Judge and then a Supreme Court Justice for the New York State Criminal Courts for the 9th Judicial District, during which then Chief Judge Kaye appointed her to serve as Supervising Judge. Prior to her term as a Supreme Court Justice, she served as a Westchester County Judge, served as an assistant district attorney, practiced in a law firm, and served as deputy village attorney in Bronxville.

The governor's website notes that as district attorney, "she has targeted a broad array of crimes involving everything from gang-related violence to identity theft and environmental pollution," and "she has been a vocal advocate for victims of domestic violence and has called for reforms designed to avert wrongful convictions," says the New York Times.

She notes on her website that as district attorney she was involved in the creation of a Child Fatality Review Team and the establishment of Westchester County's Multidisciplinary Team to investigate child abuse cases, the Child Advocacy Center, the Westchester Intelligence Center, the Violent Felony Screening Protocol, and the Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team; and she served as co-chair of the Westchester County Reentry Task Force and the Justice Task Force, as a member of the governor's Commission on Youth, Safety and Justice, and as the first chair of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics until stepping down to seek a third term as district attorney. 

"In her time on the bench," says the governor's website, "DiFiore presided over hundreds of civil and criminal cases on a broad array of issues. As a Supervising Judge on the state's criminal court, she oversaw a restructuring of the case assignment system in order to increase efficiency and achieve the first elimination of all backlogged cases in any of the state's judicial districts."

As a Supreme Court Judge (2003-2005), she was involved in the creation of the Mental Health Court and the Sex Offender Court and was appointed by then Chief Judge Kaye to serve on the Commission on the Future of Indigent Defense Services. 

As a Westchester County Court Judge (1998-2002), she helped to establish, and then presided in, the Juvenile Delinquency Part in the Westchester County Family Court and presided in the Domestic Violence and the Drug Treatment Courts. She was appointed by then Chief Judge Kaye to serve on the Commission on Drugs and the Courts. During her ten years as an assistant district attorney, she spent four years as chief of the Narcotics Bureau.

Cuomo is quoted on his website as saying, "Janet DiFiore is tremendously qualified to serve as Chief Judge of the state Court of Appeals. . . . She has served as both judge and prosecutor, and has spent her career working to ensure justice and fairness for New Yorkers. She has led crucial reform efforts to make our judicial system both more effective and more efficient, and I am confident that she would continue this leadership on the Court of Appeals."

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino released the following statement yesterday: "I congratulate my friend Janet DiFiore on this prestigious appointment. I have known Janet for many years and have worked closely with her on many issues and I know she'll be an excellent judge and administrator for the New York court system. I applaud the governor for choosing such a highly qualified individual as Janet DiFiore. New Yorkers will be well served."

DiFiore is quoted on the governor's website as saying, "I am humbled by the incredible honor of being nominated to serve as Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. My professional life has been devoted to the fair administration of justice, and I would gladly continue my service to the people of New York on our state's highest court. I am grateful to Governor Cuomo for this nomination."

Her website says that she "is a graduate of St. John's University School of Law and C.W. Post College, Long Island University. She is a lifelong resident of Westchester County and lives in Bronxville with her husband Dennis E. Glazer, who is a retired partner at the law firm Davis, Polk & Wardwell. They have three grown children."

Pictured here:  Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

Photo courtesy the Office of the Westchester County District Attorney