Thursday, May 9, 2024
MAYOR ADAMS MAKES FOUR NEW JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced four judicial appointments to Criminal Court.
“Public safety and justice are the prerequisites to prosperity, and these judges have the experience and integrity required to ensure that the criminal justice system continues to work for the betterment of all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “These individuals have shown to be among the best and the brightest minds in their field and I look forward to their continued service to this city.”
“In appointing four new criminal court judges, this administration reaffirms its commitment to justice that is fair and swift for all New Yorkers,” said City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg. “Having a high-quality, independent judiciary is critical to our American democratic ideals.”
Mayor Adams appointed the following judges to Criminal Court:
Judge Edward Daniels was appointed as a Criminal Court judge in April 2024. After graduating from law school, Judge Daniels joined a private firm in Washington, D.C. After briefly establishing a solo practice in New York, he joined another firm as an associate handling complex criminal and civil matters at trial and appeal. Thereafter, he joined the Brooklyn Defender Services as a staff attorney in criminal practice and then as a senior staff attorney in the homicide practice.
Judge Daniel Lewis was appointed as a Criminal Court judge in April 2024. After graduating from law school, Judge Lewis joined a private firm as an associate. He also began serving as an operational law attorney for the New York Army National Guard/United States Army Reserve before joining the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney in the Domestic Violence Bureau, the Narcotics-Investigations Bureau, and the Economic Crimes Bureau. Thereafter, Judge Lewis served as the lead attorney at the New York state Department of Taxation and Finance’s Criminal Investigations Division. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Lewis served as unit chief of the Crimes Against Revenue Unit of the Fraud Bureau in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Michelle Weber was appointed as a Criminal Court judge in April 2024. After graduating from law school, she joined the Kings County District Attorney’s Office where she began her legal career as a misdemeanor line assistant in the Red Trial Zone. She went on to serve as grand jury assistant and senior assistant district attorney in different trial zones, including the Special Victims Bureau and Crimes Against Children Bureau before becoming the deputy bureau chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, Integrated Domestic Violence Court. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Weber served as the unit chief of the Elder Abuse Unit of the Domestic Violence Bureau.
Judge Christopher Whitehair was appointed as a Criminal Court judge in April 2024. After graduating from law school, he joined Staten Island Legal Defense Services. Judge Whitehair then left to join Queens Defenders (formerly known as Queens Law Associates), where he served for 15 years. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Whitehair was a supervising attorney while serving as the director of recruitment and hiring at Queens Defenders.
Governor Hochul Announces More Than $86 Million Awarded to Create and Preserve 513 Units of Supportive, Emergency, and Transitional Housing Across New York State
State Funding Will Create 479 Units and 665 Beds of Permanent Supportive Housing and Create and Preserve 34 Units and 130 Beds of Emergency and Transitional Housing in Chenango, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Oneida, Orange, Ulster, and Bronx Counties
Combination of Housing with On-Site Support Services to Assist Formerly Homeless Veterans, Domestic Violence Survivors, and Individuals Living with Serious Mental Illness and/or Substance Use Disorders and Their Families
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than $86 million has been awarded to 11 projects across New York State that will create 479 units and 665 beds of permanent supportive housing and create and preserve 34 units and 130 beds of emergency and transitional housing for families and individuals who have experienced homelessness. Projects awarded funding will create or preserve housing in Chenango, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Oneida, Orange, Ulster, and Bronx Counties.
“Expanding New York’s supply of permanent affordable housing with easy access to support services is a top priority of my administration,” Governor Hochul said. “When completed, these diverse projects across New York State will provide vulnerable New Yorkers, including homeless veterans and survivors of domestic violence, with safe, stable homes and the services and support necessary to help them overcome their circumstances and break the cycle of homelessness.”
The grants awarded through a competitive process by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program are an important component of Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will help create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York State, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations.
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Acting Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “We are grateful for Governor Hochul’s longstanding commitment to increasing the supply of much-needed permanent supportive housing across New York State and for recognizing the power of supportive housing to transform the lives of families and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. When completed, this group of projects, funded through OTDA’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, will provide housing security and targeted on-site support services to hundreds of vulnerable New Yorkers.”
With these latest awards, HHAP has committed the full $128 million in funding provided in the FY 2024 Budget and more than $50 million of the $128 million in funding included in the FY Enacted 2025 Budget.
Organization | County | Amount |
Catholic Charities of Chenango | Chenango County | $2 million |
Dutchess County Department of Social Services | Dutchess County | $13 million |
Cortland Housing Assistance Council | Cortland County | $2 million |
Rochester Housing Authority | Monroe County | $4.5 million |
WellLife Network, Inc. | Bronx County | $9.9 million |
Regional Economic Community Action Program, Inc. | Orange County | $4.9 million |
Samaritan Daytop Village, Inc. | Bronx County | $15 million |
Unique People Services, Inc. | Bronx County | $10 million |
The Utica Center for Development, Inc. | Oneida County | $10 million |
RUPCO, Inc. | Ulster County | $15 million |
Friends of Little Portion Friary | Erie County | $150,000* |
*Emergency shelter repairs.