Governor Hochul Announces 28 Appointments to New York State Court of Claims and Supreme Court

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced 28 judicial appointments, consisting of seven new judges on the Court of Claims, seventeen appointments to new terms of sitting judges of the Court of Claims and four interim Justices of the Supreme Court.

"Our judicial system works best when we have talented, qualified jurists on the bench," Governor Hochul said. "These 28 nominees bring the expertise, experience and judgment necessary to uphold the rule of law, and they will be instrumental in ensuring justice is administered fairly and impartially throughout New York."

As Judges of the Court of Claims:

Fiordaliza Rodriguez of Bronx County

The Honorable Fiordaliza A. Rodriguez has been a Family Court Judge since 2015 and currently handles child protection cases dealing with abuse, neglect, orders of protection, custody, visitation/paternity and all aspects of foster care placement. Judge Rodriguez has been helping families settle disputes for over 25 years, having previously served as a Court Attorney Referee in Family Court, as an 18-b Assigned Counsel Panel attorney and as a private practitioner.

Mara McCabe of Erie County

Mara Leighbody McCabe is a Deputy District Attorney in the Erie County District Attorney's Office; a position she has held since 2021. In this role she oversees the legal training for all Assistant District Attorneys in addition to the supervision of the three Felony Trials Bureaus, Special Victims Bureau, Domestic Violence Bureau, Special Investigations and Prosecution Bureau, Grand Jury Bureau, confidential discovery liaisons, senior paralegals, paralegals and discovery expediters. Prior to serving as Deputy District Attorney, she served in various leadership positions throughout her twenty years with the Erie County District Attorney's Office, including Chief of Buffalo City Court, Chief of Felony Trials and Chief of Training. In 2019, Ms. McCabe was chosen to coordinate and implement the comprehensive 2020 criminal justice reforms within her office and maintains that responsibility in her current position.

Troy Smith of Westchester County

Troy A. Smith has focused his legal practice in the area of criminal defense in the State of New York, Federal Courts and all Military Courts. With more than 30 years of litigation experience as both a former New York City homicide prosecutor with the Bronx County District Attorney's Office (2000-2010) and as a criminal defense counsel (2010-present), Mr. Smith has served as lead counsel on more than one hundred trials on serious felony charges.

Jennifer Naiburg of Nassau County

Jennifer Naiburg served as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in Queens County for the past six years. In that capacity she led the District Attorney's executive team and oversaw the entirety of the office's legal operations and staffing. She has helped the District Attorney execute her priorities which have included restructuring and creating new bureaus, divisions, and programs. Among those new initiatives were the office's first Crime Strategies Bureau, Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, and Conviction Integrity Bureau.

Jordan Katz of Suffolk County

Jordan S. Katz began his legal career with his admission to the New York Bar in 1992 (B.A. - Tulane University, J.D. - Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center). A Brooklyn native, he has practiced in many New York State courts, along with the United States District Court for the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Districts of New York. Over the past twenty-five years, Jordan has built a 100-person multi-platform law firm that utilized cutting-edge technology and strategic management to become a best-in-class consumer finance practice. After the firm's acquisition by a large national firm, Jordan launched a boutique litigation and consulting firm and was named as the fractional Chief Operating Officer at Vallely Law, PLLC, where his expertise helped master strategic business development models while building and aligning motivated teams.

Danielle Eaddy of Kings County

Danielle V. Eaddy has over 30 years of trial experience. She is currently the Bureau Chief of a Trial Bureau at the Kings County District Attorney's Office where she is responsible for the supervision and trial of cases in the precincts under her purview. Ms. Eaddy rejoined the District Attorney's Office in 2017 after having previously served as an Assistant District Attorney for 12 years. In her capacity as an Assistant District Attorney, Ms. Eaddy previously served as a Deputy Bureau Chief for the Domestic Violence Bureau, Deputy Bureau Chief for the Grand Jury, the supervising trial attorney of a Trial Zone and as an assistant within the Sex Crimes Bureau.

Andrew Amer of New York County

Andrew Amer has spent decades litigating complex cases covering a wide range of issues. As a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Amer began his career at Simpson Thacher Bartlett where he was a litigator from 1986 to 2015. He handled a variety of complex civil cases involving insurance coverage, bankruptcy and product liability. From 2016 to 2021, Amer served as Special Litigation Counsel in the Litigation Bureau of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), representing state agencies in federal and state court. Amer currently serves as Special Counsel in the Executive Division of OAG.

Judges of the Court of Claims Appointed to New Terms:

Alexander Jeong of Richmond County

Honorable Alexander Bom-Jin Jeong began his legal career at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in 1993. He served in the homicide trial bureau where he investigated and tried numerous homicide cases. He was eventually promoted to the position of Bureau Chief of the misdemeanor trial bureau and supervised approximately 25 ADAs. In 2005, Judge Jeong was appointed to the NYC Criminal Court bench by Mayor Bloomberg. He was reappointed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2009. As a judge of the Court of Claims, he presided over criminal matters first in Kings County and currently presides in Richmond County Criminal Term.

Chris Ann Kelley of Suffolk County

Judge Chris Ann Kelley was appointed to the Court of Claims in June 2018 and presently serves as an Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court assigned to the Suffolk County Supreme Court Model Guardianship Part where Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 proceedings are adjudicated. Additionally, Justice Kelley adjudicates matrimonial and civil litigation matters when there is an identity of issues with the Guardianship proceeding. Justice Kelley also presides at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital hearing NYS Mental Hygiene Law Article 9 proceedings concerning applications to retain patients or treat patients over objection.

Damaris Torrent of Westchester County

Honorable Damaris E. Torrent was confirmed by the New York State Senate as a Judge of the New York State Court of Claims in June 2021. She is presently designated as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court in Westchester County. In 2023, as the Article 9 judge in Westchester County, she was appointed to the New York State Judicial Task Force on Mental Illness, a statewide judicial task force charged with implementing reforms to more effectively address the behavioral health issues of justice-involved individuals. She and another member of the Task Force organized a two-day symposium entitled "The Intersection of Justice and Mental Health in New York State Courts (May 27-28, 2026)," for judges, lawyers and mental health care professionals.

Charles Troia of Richmond County

Judge Troia was designated an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court by Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti in January, 2013. He presently presides over a Guardianship Part, a Civil Case Management Part, a Civil Mental Hygiene Part and a Medical Malpractice Part in Richmond County. He serves as Co-Chair of the Chief Judge's Advisory Committee on Guardianships. He also serves as Chairman of the Guardianship Roundtable for the 1st and 2nd Departments, Co-Chair of the Guardianship Task Force for the Second Department and was a member of the 18-b Advisory Panel (all appointees of the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of the Second Department). He lectures extensively on guardianships and mental health. He has lectured before the New York State Bar Association, the Bar Association of the City of New York, New York County Lawyers, Richmond County Bar Association, Columbian Lawyers and the Kings County Bar Association.

Richard Horowitz of Suffolk County

Richard Horowitz was appointed to the Court of Claims in 2015. He currently sits as an Acting Supreme Court Justice on the Suffolk County Court, handling felony matters. Judge Horowitz's prior judicial positions include Supervising Judge of the District Court, Presiding Judge of the Suffolk County Guardianship Part, Acting County Court Judge and District Court Judge. Judge Horowitz has presided over numerous Problem-Solving and Specialty Courts, including the Drug Treatment Court, the Mental Health Court and the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Court. He was also tasked with creating and presiding over the Human Trafficking Intervention Court.

Ramon Rivera of Madison County

On May 25, 2021, Judge Ramón E. Rivera was nominated to the New York State Court of Claims. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 8, 2021. Judge Rivera serves on the Court of Claims in Syracuse, New York. Prior to his appointment Judge Rivera had practiced law for more than 26 years. He was a Partner with the law firm, Mackenzie Hughes, LLP in its Business Law Department. Judge Rivera was a leader in the firm as a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Labor and Employment/Immigration Law Practice Group.

Carmen Victoria St. George of Suffolk County

Judge Carmen Victoria St. George serves as a Judge of the New York State Court of Claims. Appointed in June 2017, she was designated as an Acting Supreme Court Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County. In 2019, she transferred to Suffolk County, and serves in a hybrid part, which consists of presiding over cases in the Court of Claims as well as trials conducted in Supreme Court. Recognized for managing a substantial and demanding trial docket, Judge St. George has also authored numerous published decisions across a broad range of civil and constitutional matters, reflecting a strong commitment to fairness, efficiency and the rule of law. As part of the New York State judiciary, Judge St. George has handled significant litigation involving medical malpractice, governmental entities, land use disputes, constitutional claims and complex civil proceedings.

Daniel Conviser of New York County

Daniel Conviser has served as a judge of the Court of Claims and an Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice since June of 2007 and sits in the criminal term of the Manhattan Supreme Court. He presides over felony criminal cases and also handles a docket of cases under New York's Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act (Article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law). Prior to his appointment to the judiciary, Justice Conviser served for 13 years as a counsel to the New York State Assembly where he worked on judicial and government reform initiatives, criminal justice issues and matters impacting the legal profession and the court system.

Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick of New York County

Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick is a New York State Court of Claims Judge, a position she has held since 2015. Based in New York City, Judge Rodriguez-Morick presides over claims against the State in the Court of Claims and as a designated Acting Supreme Court Justice over felony matters in the New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County, Criminal Division. After graduating from Brooklyn Law School, Judge Rodriguez-Morick served as Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx County District Attorney's Office from 1996 to 2001; Assistant Attorney General at the New York State Attorney General's Office from 2001 to 2003; and Law Clerk to Judge Dora L. Irizarry in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 2004 to 2006. She then entered private practice at the Cleveland-based firm of Thompson Hine in 2007 until her appointment to the bench in 2012, at which time she was of counsel to the firm.

Alicia Gerez of Nassau County

Justice Alicia Gerez was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York by immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. Justice Gerez attended James Madison High School and St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Thereafter, she attended Hofstra University School of Law graduating in 1996. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Justice Gerez served as a Principal Court Attorney in Supreme Court, Bronx County for 20 years working for Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels and Justice Alison Y. Tuitt, respectively. Justice Gerez began her career as an attorney at Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath, Coffinas; Cannavo, P.C. a personal injury/medical malpractice law firm where she worked for six years. Justice Gerez was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in June 2021. She sits in Supreme Court, Bronx County, Civil Term, presiding over medical malpractice cases. She has been married to Phil Graczyk for the past 20 years and together they have raised their beautiful 20 year old daughter Grace.

Adam Silverman of Albany County

Honorable Adam W. Silverman is a Judge of the Court of Claims of the State of New York, appointed in 2020, and currently serves as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court assigned to the Third Judicial District. He sits in Albany County and has presided over matters in Greene, Rensselaer, and Albany Counties throughout his tenure on the bench. A graduate of The George Washington University and Albany Law School, Judge Silverman began his career as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and later practiced in the litigation group of a large international law firm. He returned to State service in senior executive roles, including nearly four years in the Governor's Office overseeing the State's public safety portfolio of agencies, and a tenure as Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel of one of the State's largest public safety agencies - experience that instilled the discipline, preparation, and steady judgment he brings to the bench each day.

Raymond Fernandez of Westchester County

Justice Raymond P. Fernandez was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in 2023 and currently serves as an Acting Supreme Court Justice assigned to the Civil Term in Bronx County. Before taking the bench, he served as Principal Law Clerk to Honorable Doris M. Gonzalez and Honorable Norma Ruiz in Bronx Supreme Court, and as Senior Law Clerk to Honorable Jenny Rivera of the New York Court of Appeals. He began his legal career as a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice. Judge Fernandez is a graduate of CUNY School of Law and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Anna Grimaldi of Nassau County

Judge Anna M. Grimaldi was appointed to the Court of Claims by Governor Kathy Hochul in June of 2024 for a 2-year term. Her first assignment was Acting Supreme Court Justice in Queens County, handling both matrimonial and civil cases. She served in Queens County until December 2024. Since January 2025, and until the present time, she serves in Nassau County Supreme Court and is assigned to a Civil IAS part handling matters including general negligence, contracts and medical malpractice.

Sarika Kapoor of Nassau County

Sarika Kapoor serves as a Judge of the New York State Court of Claims and as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court in Mineola, New York. Before joining the bench, Justice Kapoor spent nearly two decades serving in the Nassau County Supreme Court Law Department, ultimately as Associate Court Attorney. She also served as a Special Election Referee and Small Claims Tax Assessment Review Hearing Officer, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra Law School.

Ellen Tobin of Nassau County

Ellen B. Tobin was appointed to the Court of Claims by Governor Hochul and confirmed by the Senate on June 9, 2023. She serves as an Acting Supreme Court Judge in Nassau County, sitting in the Matrimonial Part where she presides over approximately 240 cases. Judge Tobin also sat in an IAS Part, where she presided over several jury and non-jury Trials. Prior to her appointment to the Bench, Judge Tobin was a litigation partner at Westerman Ball Ederer Miller Zucker; Sharfstein, LLP, where she represented clients in federal and state court actions and arbitrations. Judge Tobin started her legal career as a litigation associate at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt; Mosle LLP, where she represented clients in federal and state courts, government investigations, arbitrations and matters before the DOJ, SEC and PCAOB, in complex commercial cases and in antitrust, maritime and intellectual property matters.

Michele Rodney of New York County

The Honorable Michele S. Rodney has distinguished herself as a thoughtful, fair, and deeply committed jurist whose career reflects a lifelong dedication to justice, public service, education, and the strengthening of the legal profession. Judge Rodney was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in 2018 and was thereafter designated to serve as an Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Criminal Term, in New York County. She presides over a Calendar/Trial part and has tried numerous felony cases, including cases of significant public interest, while managing a substantial caseload. She serves on the Advisory Committee of Judicial Ethics and the ADA Advisory Committee of the New York State Unified Court System and chairs the Equal Justice Committee for the First Judicial District.

R. Nadine Fontaine of Albany County

Honorable R. Nadine Fontaine currently serves as a Judge of the New York State Court of Claims sitting in the 3rd Judicial District. Prior to her judicial appointment by Governor Kathy Hochul, Judge Fontaine was General Counsel to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), one of the nation's largest public finance and construction authorities providing services for public, educational and nonprofit institutions and hospitals. She has also held several senior roles in the New York State Executive Chamber including First Assistant Counsel to the Governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Counsel for Economic Development, Public Finance and Procurement and Assistant Counsel for Human Services.

As Justices of the Supreme Court:

Debra Givens of Erie County

Honorable Debra L. Givens' judicial career began when she was appointed to the Buffalo City Court bench in 2002 by Mayor Anthony Masiello. She ran successfully in 2003 to retain her seat for a full ten-year term and was re-elected in 2013. Judge Givens was appointed to serve as an acting County Court judge in 2007 and as an acting Family Court judge in 2009. In 2021 Judge Givens was appointed to a seat on the New York State Court of Claims and was designated by the Chief Administrative Judge to serve as an acting Justice of the Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District. Governor Kathy Hochul reappointed Judge Givens to the Court of Claims in 2024 where she continues to serve as an acting Supreme Court Justice.

Joseph Risi of Queens County

Honorable Joseph Risi is a New York State Court of Claims Judge who has served as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court for the Civil Term in Queens County since 2017. Judge Risi currently presides over the Trial Scheduling Part, Tax Certiorari Part, and the Commercial Division. Before joining the judiciary, Justice Risi established a distinguished career in private practice and public service, having maintained his own law practice for 30 years as a commercial transactional and litigation practitioner, serving as former President of the Queens County Bar Association, Counsel to State Senator George Onorato and Chairman of Queens Community Board 1.

Tandra Dawson of New York County

Judge Tandra L. Dawson has presided in the New York County Integrated Domestic Violence Court (IDVC) since January 2007. IDVC is a problem-solving court that handles one family's related criminal, matrimonial and family court cases. Judge Dawson previously presided over the Intimate Partner Sex Assault Part which adjudicated sex offenses between intimate and former intimate partners from 2012 to 2013. Prior to that she served as a Family Court Judge in Bronx County from 1998 to 2006, where she presided over family offense, custody and visitation proceedings.

Louis Gigliotti of Oneida County

Judge Gigliotti has been serving as the Oneida County Surrogate since 2009. In addition to serving as Surrogate, Judge Gigliotti has been an Acting Supreme Court Justice since 2012. In that capacity he has presided over a variety of civil proceedings, including special proceedings under mental hygiene law, personal injury and contract actions, matrimonial cases, commercial litigation and more. He has also served as an Acting Family Court Judge handling custody and visitation matters and family offense proceedings.