February 22: The Real Judge Judy

Judith Kaye became the first woman to be appointed chief judge of New York State on this date in 1993, a post she held until 2008, when she reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. In 1983, she had become the first woman judge on the state’s Court of Appeals. Her service was especially notable for her opposition to the death penalty — there were no executions during her tenure — and for her dissent from the Court’s decision in 2006 not to recognize gay marriages. (“This State has a proud tradition of affording equal rights to all New Yorkers,” Kaye wrote. “Sadly, the Court today retreats from that proud tradition.”) Kaye also led a system-wide reform of the New York courts, including the establishment of drug courts and domestic violence courts, and democratization of the jury system through the abolition of all job-related exemptions.

“It becomes a bit intoxicating to see that you can make things better.” —Judith Kaye