Written by Town Historian Al Dumas
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting an exceptional woman and celebrated judge: The Honorable Judith Ann Smith Kaye, born on August 4th, 1938 in Monticello, New York. Judith was the very first woman to be appointed to New York State’s Court of Appeals and the first woman to be named Chief Judge. However, it soon became clear that Judith was “one of the preeminent jurists in the country, regardless of gender” according to the Historical Society of the New York Courts.
Reproduced with the permission of The Historical Society of the New York Courts and its website: http://history.nycourts.gov. Any other use of this material is strictly prohibited. The portrait of Hon. Judith S. Kaye is in the Collection of the NYS Court of Appeals.
Judith was born to Jewish immigrants from Poland, Mr. Benjamin Smith and Lena Cohen. The family ran a family farm on the outskirts of Monticello in the Maplewood section of the Town of Thompson, and owned a women’s clothing store on Broadway in Monticello.
Judith was educated in the Monticello School District, where she graduated in 1954 at the age of 15! After High School, she attended Barnard College, graduating in 1958 with a B.A. She then worked for the Hudson Dispatch newspaper in Union City, New Jersey in the society news department.
Judith left the Dispatch for another news service, working by day and attending New York University Law at night. After graduating from NYU Law, LL.B. (cum laude) in 1962, Judith worked for two years in the IBM legal department at NYU. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1963. During this time, Judith met Stephen R. Kaye and married him on February 11th, 1964. They went on to have three children.
Her next employment was as an associate for the law firm of Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O’Donnell & Weyher in 1969, where she was made partner (and was the first woman to do so) in 1975.
In 1983, Governor Mario M. Cuomo nominated Judith to be on the New York State Court Of Appeals as an Associate Judge, during the tenure of the Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke of Monticello, a longtime mentor and colleague.
Judith’s approval by the State Senate was on September 12th, 1983 and she was the first woman associate of the New York State Court of Appeals. Her service on the court as an associate was soon to change, with a dramatic highlight, as she gained even more attention for her acumen and skills. Judith was asked by Governor and President-Elect Bill Clinton to serve as the United States Attorney General and for a seat on the United States Supreme Court!
Judith did meet Governor Clinton in Little Rock to inform him that she will not accept the consideration for both, as her heart was with the highest court of the State of New York.
On February 22nd, 1993, Governor Cuomo appointed Judith as New York State Chief Judge of The Court of Appeals, confirmed by the State Senate on March 17th, 1993 and sworn in on March 23rd, 1993 as the first woman Chief Judge. Her tenure would be for the next 15 years, making history again as the longest-serving Chief Judge in New York State history.
During her storied tenure, Judith never forgot her beloved hometown of Monticello, visiting as often as she could. She made a historic visit to Monticello in 1997 to attend a ceremony in her honor for the Monticello High School Wall of Distinction, accompanied by a fellow honoree, Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke.
After her retirement in 2008, Judith returned to private law practice until her passing on January 7th, 2016 in New York City.