Hon. Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York, was born in Monticello, New York, in 1938. She was appointed by Governor Mario M. Cuomo on February 22, 1993, confirmed by the State Senate on March 17, and sworn in on March 23, 1993. Judge Kaye, the first Chief Judge ever to complete a full 14 year term, was appointed to a second term by Governor Eliot Spitzer on February 7, 2007, confirmed by the Senate on March 6, and sworn in on March 19, 2007. She is the first woman to occupy the State Judiciary's highest office. She became the first woman to serve on New York State's highest court when Governor Cuomo appointed her Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals on September 12, 1983. B.A., Barnard College, 1958; LL.B., New York University School of Law (cum laude), 1962. Admitted to the New York State Bar, 1963. Chief Judge Kaye engaged in private practice in New York City until her appointment to the Court of Appeals.

Her current posts also include Chair of the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children; Founding Member and Honorary Chair, Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA); Member of the Board of Editors, New York State Bar Journal; and Trustee, The William Nelson Cromwell Foundation. She served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices and Chair of the Board of Directors, National Center for State Courts (2002-03). She is the author of numerous publications--particularly articles dealing with legal process, state constitutional law, women in law, professional ethics and problem-solving courts--as well as the recipient of many awards and several honorary degrees.