Justice Tanya R. Kennedy Appointed to the Appellate Division, First Department of the State of New York

Past NAWJ President Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.  Justice Kennedy has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County, since January 2016, after election in November 2015.  She was elected to Civil Court in November 2005 and thereafter served in Criminal Court (January 2006-September 2008), Civil Court (September 2008-December 2009), Family Court (January 2010-December 2010), as Acting Supreme Court Justice (January 2011-December 2012) and as Supervising Judge of Civil Court, New York Count (January 2014-December 2015).

Before her election to Civil Court, Justice Kennedy served as Principal Law Clerk to Hon. Barry A. Cozier both while he was an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department (March 2001-December 2005) and while he was a Justice in the Commercial Division, New York County (May 1999-March 2001). Prior to her clerkship with Justice Cozier, Justice Kennedy served in the Office of the Corporation Counsel, New York City Law Department, as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Bronx Family Court Division (August 1992-August 1994) and in the Bronx Tort Division (August 1994-August 1997), where she was promoted to Tort Trial Specialist and later to Assistant Deputy Chief.

Justice Kennedy is currently a member of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York; the Board of Directors of the Supreme Court Justices Association of the City of New York; the Board of Directors of the New York City Bar Association; and Executive Committee member of the Women in Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.  In addition, she is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she received her law degree, and is an Advisory Board Member of Penn State Law.  She is among one of eight Penn State University alumni selected by the Board of Trustees to receive the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award.  Justice Kennedy is also a former Adjunct Professor at Fordham University School of Law, where she taught a juvenile justice seminar for ten years.

During Justice Kennedy’s term as NAWJ President, the organization convened cutting-edge legal education for the bench, bar and community to address cybersecurity and the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, the dark web and virtual currencies, e-discovery, bail reform, the opioid crisis, mental wellness, dementia in the courtroom, as well as engaging millennials and building a personal brand.  After organizing a Legislative Caucus on Capitol Hill to focus on ensuring a healthy work environment free of sexual harassment, Justice Kennedy led NAWJ in trademarking “#WETOO IN THE LEGAL WORKPLACE.”