Judges’ retirement age will be up to voters
This November election, New York voters will have an opportunity to decide whether or not state judges are allowed to remain on the bench past the age of 70.
The current rules governing judgeships mandate that judges must retire once they reach 70. Elected justices, however, are permitted to seek three extensions of two years each. These extensions thus allow justices to serve until they are 76, barring any physical or mental disabilities.
Unlike elected justices, judges who are appointed to the bench, such as judges on the Court of Appeals, are required to retire once they turn 70 years of age.
“The current requirement that certain judges must retire at 70 and others at 76 is an outdated rule that was created at a time when the life expectancy of the population was much lower than it is today,” Hon. Barry Kamins, Brooklyn Supreme Court justice and administrative judge for criminal matters for the Second Judicial District, told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.