ADAMS STREET – Three Brooklyn judges were the guests of honor last week for a gay pride event at the Kings County Supreme Court.

Hon. Jack Battaglia, Hon. Paula Hepner and Hon. Debra Silber were recognized for the leadership roles that they have played -- both as judges and as judges who have openly come “out� as gay. These three Brooklyn judges “are breakthrough judges for us,� said Marc Levine, president of The Alliance.

“The first is Civil Court Judge Debbie Silber, the first out judge elected in Brooklyn. The second is Justice Jack Battaglia, the first out judge elected to Supreme Court in Brooklyn. The third honoree is Judge Paula Hepner, the first out LGBT Judge to be appointed a supervising judge in Brooklyn,� Levine said.

The Alliance is also known as the Gay-Straight Alliance of the New York State Courts. The Alliance, in conjunction with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association of Greater New York (LeGaL), presented the 2008 Pride in Brooklyn Event last Wednesday on the top floor of the courthouse.

Hon. Abraham Gerges, Brooklyn Supreme Court administrative judge of the Civil Term, gave the opening address, and Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes gave the keynote address, expressing his promise to vigilantly prosecute any and all hate crimes.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net