When Mayor Eric Adams recently announced his 10 judicial appointments and reappointments to the Criminal and Family Courts, three of the jurists had strong ties to Queens.
Judge Germaine Auguste, who was reappointed to Criminal Court, had previously served as an interim Civil Court judge after she was appointed in August 2021 following a 30-year career with The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Practice in Queens.
Judge Simiyon Haniff was reappointed to Criminal Court. He was first appointed as an interim Civil Court judge in December 2021. Judge Hanniff began his legal career with the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, serving in the Intake, Domestic Violence, Appeals and Trial Bureaus. He went on to form two partnerships and opened his own practice before returning to the Queens DA’s office, where he served as an assistant district attorney on the Criminal Court and Domestic Violence Bureaus.
Judge Amanda White was reappointed as the supervising judge in Kings County Family Court. Before she went to the bench in 2011, Judge White served with The Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Division for nearly two decades in Queens as well as the Bronx and Manhattan.
“Ensuring our judicial system operates efficiently, equitably and fairly is critical to providing New Yorkers with the safety they need and the justice they deserve,” Adams said. “These new appointments to Criminal and Family Courts represent the best of the best, and we thank them for their dedication to serving our city.”
Of the 10 reappointed judges, seven will sit in the New York City Criminal Court and three will sit in Family Court.
“These appointments will immediately help our court system continue to reduce the enormous backlog of cases that swelled during the height of the pandemic,” City Hall Chief Counsel Brendan McGuire said. “The Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary reviewed hundreds of applicants and selected these appointments after a rigorous screening process to identify the best candidates. We thank these judges for their service.”
