Frivolous expenses charged by New York judges
November 29, 2009
New York: On November 1, 2009, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, Jonathan Lippman, increased the expense allowances payable to New York judges from $5,000 a year to $10,000. In 2008, the New York Office of Court Administration paid out approximately $6 million to judges receiving the $5,000 allowance. This increase could take the total expense allowance outlay to roughly $12 million per year. The Office of Court Administration's total annual budget in 2008 was $2.27 billion.[1]
Some of the items approved for reimbursement include trips taken to the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California by Brooklyn Housing Court judges Cheryl Gonzales and John Stanley. Gonzales and Stanley were reimbursed $890 and $780 respectively for the trip. Queens Family Court Judge Linda Tally asked for $233 to pay for an Apple iPod Touch, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Jacobson was reimbursed $2,878.40 for a "fact-finding vacation" to Cuba, and Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Sylvia Ash requested $290 for a room air purifier bought on the Home Shopping Network.
Administrative director of the state court system Lawrence Marks defends the charges, citing the lack of a raise for judges in the past 11 years.[2]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York
State courts:
New York Court of Appeals • New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division • New York Supreme Court • New York County Courts • New York City Courts • New York Town and Village Courts • New York Family Courts • New York Surrogates' Courts • New York City Civil Court • New York City Criminal Courts • New York Court of Claims • New York Problem Solving Courts
State resources:
Courts in New York • New York judicial elections • Judicial selection in New York
