Paterson Appoints Two
Lesbians to N.Y. Appellate Court

Two lesbian judges have been appointed to the New York State appellate court, among five total appointees announced by Gov. David Paterson on Friday. Judge Roslyn Richter will fill a position in the appellate division's first department, while Judge Elizabeth Garry will go to the third department.

Richter has served on the state supreme court since 2000, and currently presides over matrimonial and guardianship cases (in New York, the supreme court is subordinate to the appellate court). Before the supreme court, Richter served on the bench at the Bronx criminal court. She also teaches at the New York Law School, and was the executive director of Lambda Legal from 1980 to 1983.

Garry was elected to the state supreme court in 2006, and prior to that served as town justice for New Berlin, N.Y., for five years. She was a litigator in Sherburne, N.Y., and before that was a clerk for Justice Irad Ingraham.

According to the Empire State Pride Agenda, these are the highest judiciary appointments ever for gay New Yorkers. A spokesperson for the organization said, "[Justices Richter and Garry] are trailblazers and have earned a permanent place in the story of our community."

Also appointed today were justices Leonard B. Austin, L. Priscilla Hall, and Plummer E. Lott.