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Eileen Rakower

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Eileen Rakower

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Prior offices
New York City Civil Court New York County 4th Municipal Court District

Education

Bachelor's

State University of New York, Binghamton, 1981

Law

Cardoza School of Law, 1984

Eileen Rakower (Democratic Party) was a member of the New York City Civil Court New York County, representing Manhattan 4th Municipal Court District. She left office on November 30, 2021.

Rakower (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New York City Civil Court New York County to represent Manhattan 4th Municipal Court District. She won in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Biography

Rakower received her B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1981 and her J.D. from the Cardoza School of Law in 1984. She has served as an acting member of the New York Supreme Court.[1]

Career

  • 1997-2021: Judge, New York City Civil Court
  • 1989-1997: Principal law assistant
  • 1987-1989: Associate law assistant
  • 1987: Law assistant
  • 1984-1987: Staff attorney, Legal Aid Society[1]

Elections

2016

See also: New York local trial court judicial elections, 2016

New York held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on September 13, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wish to run in this election was July 14, 2016.[2] Incumbent Eileen Rakower and Judy Kim were unopposed in the general election for the New York County section (4th District) of the New York City Civil Court.

New York City Civil Court, New York (4th District) General Election, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Eileen Rakower Incumbent
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Judy Kim

Judicial selection method

See also: Partisan elections

Judges of the New York City Civil Court are each elected to 10-year terms in partisan contested elections, with one exception. Judges of the New York City Housing Court are appointed by the Chief Administrative Judge and serve five-year terms. To serve on this court, a judge must be a state and city resident, at least 18 years old and practice in the state for 10 years. This court has a mandatory retirement age of 70 years old.[3]

Noteworthy cases

Artistic freedom trumps privacy concerns

Judge Eileen Rakower ruled that a photographer who took pictures of New Yorkers through their windows without their permission was protected by the First Amendment.[4]

Photographer Arne Svenson's exhibit called "Neighbors" consisted of photos taken through open windows. Though no faces are visible, the images include different people in various poses, none of whom were aware that they were being photographed. One family was not amused when photos of them and their children appeared in an art gallery in Chelsea. They sued Svenson for possession of the photos, arguing that the work "shocks the conscience and is so out of keeping with the standards of morality in the community."[5]

Judge Rakower ruled:

Art is considered free speech and is therefore protected by the First Amendment. While it makes the [Fosters] cringe to think that their private lives and images of their small children can find their way into the public forum of an art exhibition, there is no redress under the current laws of the state of New York.[5][6]

See also

External links

Footnotes