Hon. Deborah A. Kaplan
Deborah A. Kaplan was appointed Deputy Chief Administrative Judge of the New York City Courts on October 1, 2021. Prior to this position, since January 2018, Judge Kaplan served as the Administrative Judge in Supreme Court, New York County, Civil Term, one of the busiest courts in the nation, and served as the interim Administrative Judge for Civil and Criminal Matters in Richmond County from September 2017 to January 2018.
Previously, Judge Kaplan was the Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Violence Cases. In that position, Judge Kaplan and her office, the Office of the Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Violence Cases, worked collaboratively with the state’s administrative judges and judges and court personnel who handle domestic violence and integrated domestic violence matters statewide, to refine and innovate practices, including the development and implementation of the Remote Order of Protection Program. Judge Kaplan also strove to raise awareness of issues impacting older adults, including elder abuse in both the civil and criminal context.
Before ascending to the bench 20 years ago, Judge Kaplan worked at the Legal Aid Society where she was awarded the Orison S. Marden Award for her outstanding work. She then was Principal Court Attorney to the Honorable Juanita Bing Newton when Judge Newton was Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives, and following that position, served as Chief Management Analyst & Project Counsel to the Honorable Joseph J. Traficanti, Jr. (Ret.) when he was Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for the State of New York and Director of the Office of Court Treatment Programs.
Among her many professional activities, Judge Kaplan co-chairs the New York State Justice Task Force, chairs the New York State Judicial Committee on Elder Justice, is a member of the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts and the Advisory Committee on Court Access for People with Disabilities, and a past president of Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.
Judge Kaplan received her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and her B.A. and B.S. from the State University of New York at Albany.
Information about Judge Kaplan is also available on the Judicial Directory.