Age, Biography and Wiki

Judith Kaye (Judith Ann Smith) was born on 4 August, 1938 in Monticello, New York, U.S., is an American judge. Discover Judith Kaye's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 78 years old?

Popular As Judith Ann Smith
Occupation N/A
Age 78 years old
Zodiac Sign Leo
Born 4 August, 1938
Birthday 4 August
Birthplace Monticello, New York, U.S.
Date of death 2016
Died Place New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 4 August. She is a member of famous with the age 78 years old group.

Judith Kaye Height, Weight & Measurements

At 78 years old, Judith Kaye height not available right now. We will update Judith Kaye's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Judith Kaye's Husband?

Her husband is Stephen Kaye (m. 1964-2006)

Family
Parents Benjamin Smith (father)Lena Cohen (mother)
Husband Stephen Kaye (m. 1964-2006)
Sibling Not Available
Children 3

Judith Kaye Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Judith Kaye worth at the age of 78 years old? Judith Kaye’s income source is mostly from being a successful . She is from United States. We have estimated Judith Kaye's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income

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Timeline

1938

Judith Ann Kaye ( Smith; August 4, 1938 – January 7, 2016) was an American lawyer, jurist and the longtime Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, serving in that position from March 23, 1993, until December 31, 2008.

She was the first woman to serve as chief judge, the highest judicial office in New York State, and the longest-serving chief judge in New York history.

Kaye was born as Judith Ann Smith in Monticello, New York on August 4, 1938.

Her parents, Benjamin and Lena (née Cohen) Smith, were Jewish immigrants from Poland who lived on a farm in Sullivan County, New York, and operated a women's apparel store.

She skipped two grades, graduating from Monticello High School (New York) aged fifteen.

1958

She then graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University in 1958 with B.A. in Latin American civilization.

She became a reporter for the Union City, New Jersey Hudson Dispatch, where she was a society news reporter, but left to become a lawyer.

1962

She worked as a copy editor during the day and attended night school at the New York University Law School, graduating with an LL.B. cum laude in 1962, as one of ten women in a class of almost 300.

1963

Kaye was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1963.

She began her career in private practice in New York City at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell.

Kaye left Sullivan & Cromwell to join the IBM legal department.

While raising a family, Kaye worked as a part-time assistant to the dean of the New York University Law School, her alma mater.

1969

In 1969, Kaye was hired by the prominent law firm of Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O'Donnell & Weyher as a litigation associate.

1975

In 1975, she became that firm's first female partner.

1982

Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, made a campaign promise in his successful 1982 campaign for governor of New York to appoint a woman to the New York Court of Appeals—the state's highest court.

When the first vacancy arose, however, no woman appeared on the list submitted by the state Commission on Judicial Selection.

After another vacancy occurred, however, the commission listed two women on its list of seven candidates: Kaye (who was at the time 44 years old and a commercial litigator) and Betty Weinberg Ellerin (a judge on the New York Supreme Court, the trial court in New York, and the former president of the Women's Bar Association).

Cuomo interviewed Kaye twice and appointed her to the bench for a 14-year term, making her the first woman to serve on the court.

1983

Kaye was nominated by Cuomo to be an associate judge on August 11, 1983.

She was confirmed unanimously by the senate on September 6, and then sworn in on September 12, 1983.

1992

In November 1992, Chief Judge Sol Wachtler resigned after being arrested on charges that he extorted money from a former lover.

1993

Cuomo nominated Kaye to fill the chief judge vacancy on February 22, 1993.

She was confirmed unanimously by the senate on March 17, and then sworn in on March 23, 1993.

2007

With her term set to expire, Governor Eliot Spitzer renominated Kaye as chief judge on February 7, 2007.

She was confirmed by the senate on March 6, and sworn in on March 19, 2007.

2008

In 2008, as Kaye approached mandatory retirement age, The New York Times editorial board praised her, writing: "In her 15 years as chief, Judith Kaye has excelled at both, earning national praise for her jurisprudence and as a court reformer."

As chief judge, Kaye pushed forward with judicial reform and modernization efforts.

New York State became a national leader in establishing problem-solving courts, which offered treatment and other alternatives to incarceration in cases involving addiction, mental illness, or domestic violence and abuse.

Kaye also took steps to make jury service more efficient and convenient.

Kaye also successfully pushed to eliminate all exemptions from jury service (a phrase Kaye preferred over "jury duty").

Kaye helped establish the Center for Court Innovation, a non-profit think tank that although independent of the court system, serves as the judiciary's research and development arm.

Kaye emphasized civil liberties and interpreted the Constitution of New York as providing broader protections in some areas than those provided for by the federal Constitution.

Kaye was viewed as a liberal, but was perceived as moving toward the pragmatic center after becoming chief judge, in an effort to build consensus among the justices.

According to judge Jonathan Lippmann who was her chief administrative judge and successor as chief judge "Judith Kaye essentially started a revolution, that has redefined the traditional role of the judiciary in addressing the difficult social problems reflected in our record-breaking court dockets: drug abuse, family violence and dysfunction, mental illness and so many more"

Kaye retired on December 31, 2008, after reaching the age of 70, the state's mandatory retirement age for judges.

Kaye had "made occasional negative references to the mandatory retirement requirement, once saying experienced jurists were being forced from the bench to the 'great detriment' of the courts."

Kaye gave her farewell speech on November 12, 2008, and formally retired on the last day of that year.

She was the longest-serving chief judge in New York history.

2009

Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick briefly became acting chief judge after Kaye's retirement; Jonathan Lippman was nominated and confirmed to the post and was formally sworn in in February 2009.

2016

The chief judge of New York has both an administrative role (overseeing the entire state court system, which in 2016 had about 16,000 employees ) and a judicial role (hearing and deciding appeals to the state's highest court).