Janet Marie DiFiore (born August 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals from 2016-2022. DiFiore was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and graduated from Long Island University and St. John's University School of Law. As a practicing attorney, DiFiore worked in a law firm and in the Westchester District Attorney's Office. DiFiore then was elected a judge of the Westchester County Court, and was subsequently named a justice of the New York Supreme Court (the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

in New York), serving in that post from 2003 to 2005. DiFiore left the bench to become district attorney of

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, in 2006; she stayed in that position nearly a decade, until

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...

nominated her to the New York Court of Appeals. Her nomination was confirmed by the New York State Senate. She started her term as the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in New York on January 21, 2016. She resigned on July 11, 2022, effective August 31, 2022, amid misconduct proceedings into her alleged attempt to influence a disciplinary hearing.

Early life and education

Janet Marie DiFiore was born on August 9, 1955, in Mount Vernon, New York, the only child of

Italian immigrants , image = Map of the Italian Diaspora in the World.svg , image_caption = Map of the Italian diaspora in the world , population = worldwide , popplace = Brazil, Argentina, United States, France, Colombia, Canada, P ...

,Jennifer Medina
Rising Legal Star With Deep Local Roots
''New York Times'' (November 18, 2005).Jonathan Bandler & Richard Liebson
DiFiore: Chief judge nominee 'quiet, assertive'
''Journal News'' (December 6, 2015). and is a lifelong resident of

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

. She graduated from

Mount Vernon High School Mount Vernon High School could refer to: *Mount Vernon High School (Arkansas) — Mount Vernon, Arkansas * Mount Vernon High School (Illinois) — Mount Vernon, Illinois *Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, Indiana) * Mount Vernon High Sch ...

. DiFiore graduated from C.W. Post College at Long Island University and St. John's University School of Law.Joseph Spector
Cuomo taps Westchester DA DiFiore as chief judge
''Journal News'' (December 1, 2015).

Legal career

While a law student, DiFiore interned for Westchester District Attorney Carl A. Vergari. After graduating from law school in 1981, DiFiore became an assistant district attorney in the Westchester District Attorney's Office.Jesse McKinley & James C. McKinley Jr.

''New York Times'' (December 1, 2015). DiFiore left in 1987 to work part-time at the law firm of Goodrich & Bendish while raising her family; she worked at the firm until 1994. During this period, DiFiore also served as deputy village attorney for Bronxville, New York. In 1994, DiFiore returned to the office to serve as chief of the narcotics bureau under DA Jeanine F. Pirro. In 1998, DiFiore was elected a judge of the Westchester County Court. She served in that position from 1999 to 2002.Joseph De Avila
Westchester D.A. Is Nominated to Be State's Top Judge
''Wall Street Journal'' (December 1, 2015). From 2003 to 2005, DiFiore was a justice of the New York Supreme Court (the

trial court in New York). In November 2005, DiFiore was elected Westchester County district attorney, succeeding Pirro. DiFiore defeated

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Tony Castro in the race. She took office the following year. As head of the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, DiFiore led an office of more than 230 employees. Soon after assuming office, DiFiore approved new

DNA testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, o ...

to be used in the case of

Jeffrey Mark Deskovic Jeffrey Mark Deskovic (born October 27, 1973) is an American man from Peekskill, New York known for having been wrongly convicted in 1990 at the age of seventeen of raping, beating, and strangling Angela Correa, a 15-year-old high school classmate ...

, who was

wrongfully convicted A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...

of the rape and murder of a classmate. Such testing had been refused by Pirro, DiFiore's predecessor. The evidence exonerated Deskovic, and he was released from prison after 16 years. DiFiore subsequently set up an inquiry which reviewed the errors in the case and recommended reforms to prevent future wrongful convictions, such as videotaping police interrogations. In August 2007, DiFiore switched party affiliations, from

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to Democratic. She was twice reelected district attorney, in 2009 and 2013. In September 2009, DiFiore defeated Castro in the Democratic primary and in the general election defeated Castro (who ran on the Independence Party of New York and

Working Families Party The Working Families Party (WFP) is a minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Ne ...

ballot lines) and Republican candidate Dan Schorr. In 2013, DiFiore ran unopposed. From 2011 to 2013, DiFiore was chairwoman of the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics, a body to which she was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. DiFiore resigned this position to run for reelection as district attorney. In 2014, Cuomo appointed DiFiore to a

juvenile justice A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

commission. DiFiore is also co-chairwoman of the New York Justice Task Force, which investigates wrongful convictions; she was appointed to the task force by

Jonathan Lippman Jonathan Lippman (born May 19, 1945) is an American jurist who served as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 2009 through 2015. He is currently Of Counsel in the Litigation & Trial Department of Latham & Watkins’ New York office ...

, the chief justice of the New York Court of Appeals. In July 2022, she announced her resignation as chief judge amid misconduct proceedings, allegedly attempting to influence a disciplinary hearing. Her term ended on August 31, 2022.

Election results

New York Court of Appeals

Thirty-three people, including DiFiore, applied to succeed Lippman as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, following Lippman's

mandatory retirement Mandatory retirement also known as forced retirement, enforced retirement or compulsory retirement, is the set age at which people who hold certain jobs or offices are required by industry custom or by law to leave their employment, or retire. As ...

at the end of 2015.Joseph Spector
Janet DiFiore on list of potential N.Y. chief judge candidates
'' Journal News'', (October 16, 2015). DiFiore was included as one of seven finalists chosen by the state Commission on Judicial Nomination, led by former chief judge Judith S. Kaye. Other notable finalists included Michael J. Garcia, former

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Establish ...

, who in 2016 also joined the New York Court of Appeals, having been appointed to fill another vacancy.Joseph Spector
NY's top court: DiFiore sworn in; Garcia confirmed
''Journal News'' (February 8, 2016). On December 1, 2015, Governor

nominated DiFiore to serve as chief judge. Following a procedural delay, the New York State Senate unanimously confirmed DiFiore to the position by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

on January 21, 2016. DiFiore was sworn in by Cuomo at the Court of Appeals building on February 8, 2016. The chief judge technically serves a fourteen-year term, but the

New York State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

provides a

mandatory retirement age Mandatory retirement also known as forced retirement, enforced retirement or compulsory retirement, is the set age at which people who hold certain jobs or offices are required by industry custom or by law to leave their employment, or retire. As ...

for Court of Appeals justices. In May 2022, DiFiore writing for the majority struck down the redistricting maps approved by the state legislature. In a July 2022 interview, DiFiore announced her resignation as the chief judge of New York effective in August 2022.

Personal life

DiFiore is married to Dennis E. Glazer, a retired lawyer. The couple met on the first day of law school, and married on August 15, 1981, at the

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Town of Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golf players and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the "Westche ...

in Rye. She is the mother of three children, Alexandra, Joseph and Michael, now all adults. She lives in Bronxville, New York.

References