ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 7, 2016 — New York State United Teachers today mourned the loss of Judge Judith Kaye, the first woman to serve as chief judge of New York’s highest court.
“Judge Kaye possessed a brilliant legal mind. Her trailblazing, progressive opinions on the death penalty, school funding and marriage equality, as well as her solution-oriented work on domestic violence; mental illness; on behalf of children and on other quality-of-life issues, were years ahead of the times. Her appointment as the first woman to New York’s Court of Appeals and, later, as the first woman chief judge, made her a role model to students — especially young women,” said NYSUT President Karen E. Magee. “On behalf of NYSUT’s officers and our more than 600,000 members across the state, we honor Judge Kaye’s tremendous legacy.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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