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 to 2022. DiFiore was born in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, and graduated from

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

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 most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 heard by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). ...

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

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

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

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

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

nominated her to the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

. 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

, the only child of Italian immigrants,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 a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

. She graduated from Mount Vernon High School. DiFiore graduated from C.W. Post College at

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 A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

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 Bronxville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the Adminis ...

. 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 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 to be used in the case of Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, who was wrongfully convicted 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 to Democratic. She was twice reelected district attorney, in 2009 and 2013. In September 2009, DiFiore defeated Castro in the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and in the general election defeated Castro (who ran on the

Independence Party of New York Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

and

Working Families Party The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive 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 ...

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

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, the Chief Judge 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. A ...

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 Michael John Garcia (born October 3, 1961) is an American attorney and former government official. Since February 2016, he has served as an Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, that state's highest court. He is a former U.S. Attorney ...

, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 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 "by 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 respondin ...

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 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 A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

, and married on August 15, 1981, at the

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

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

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

References