New York to vote on length of state judicial terms, Brooklyn weighs in
The New York State Constitution may be amended in November to allow state judges to remain on the bench past the age of 70 — a change supported by many in the legal community.
Currently, state judges appointed to the bench must retire at the age of 70. This requirement forced Appellate Division Justice Anita Florio to step down from the bench last year. Florio began her term as an Appellate Division justice in 1994 — appointed to the bench by former New York State Gov. Mario Cuomo and reappointed by current New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“When you have been appointed by the father and then reappointed by the son, you know it is time for you to leave the bench,” Florio joked at a Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association event in 2012.
Elected judges, on the other hand, are allowed to remain through the age of 76 as long as they are mentally competent and physically able to serve. The proposed constitutional amendment will essentially allow appointed and elected judges to remain on the bench until the age of 80.