NYSBA President Decries Actions of Union Leader Who Published Chief Judge Janet DiFiore’s Home Addresses

NYSBA President Decries Actions of Union Leader Who Published Chief Judge Janet DiFiore’s Home Addresses

8.30.2021

By Susan DeSantis

T. Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about the court officer who jeopardized the safety of New York’s Chief Judge Janet DiFiore:

“Chief Judge Janet DiFiore’s decision to require that all state court workers and judges be vaccinated against COVID-19 was both morally right and legally sound. It is the chief judge’s responsibility to safeguard lawyers, litigants, and defendants who should not have to choose between access to justice and their own personal health. The New York State Bar Association has called on all New York employers – both public and private – to mandate vaccines for every employee, except for those with a legitimate health issue or religious exemption.

“We commend Judge DiFiore for her leadership on this important public health matter, and we condemn the actions of a union leader who retaliated against her by publishing her home addresses and calling for protests at her residences. A year ago last month, a man angry at federal Judge Esther Salas over her handling of a case went to her New Jersey home, shooting and killing her son and seriously wounding her husband. This incident underscores both the danger faced by judges simply for doing their jobs and the need to take all appropriate steps to protect them – especially in their own homes.

“Judges do not have security details. If we do not speak out against and work to prevent senseless attacks against judges, our legal system begins to unravel. We cannot stand by and let this reckless behavior undermine the rule of law.”