Amici Podcast

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The "Amici" podcast series was created to share information and insight from New York's judges and the Unified Court System with constituents, stakeholders and anyone else who might have an interest in these topics.

John Caher


    • Jun 17, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 27m AVG DURATION
    • 165 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Amici Podcast

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Elizabeth Booth, 8/7/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 23:27


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-08/Goodman-Booth_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Helen Zhu, 8/2/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 21:49


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-08/Goodman-Zhu%20Final.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Tamara Kersh, 6/10/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 19:29


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-06/TamaraKersh.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Alia Razzaq, 5/13/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 28:01


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-05/Goodman-RazzaqFinal_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Lakisha Hickson, 5/6/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 14:26


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/18126

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Michelle Foggie, 4/29/19

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 20:52


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/18131

    Promoting Diversity in the Court System: Nala Woodard , 12/10/18

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 21:00


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/14006

    Promoting Diversity on the Bench: Martin Huynh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 27:20


    In today's Diversity Dialogue, we'll meet a man well-known to many of us in the court system -- Martin Huynh. But who knew he was a Vietnamese refugee brought out of the country at the age of four by a single parent mom, or that their journey halfway around the world began on a boat and included a period of waiting in the Philippine Islands where they slept on hammocks? Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-05/Martin.pdf

    A HISTORIC APPOINTMENT: THIRD JD ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE CHRISTINA L. RYBA

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 27:22


    Less than a decade ago, no Black person had ever been elected to state Supreme Court in any of the 28 counties of the Third Department, an area from Kingston to Canada that accounts for about 45 percent of the counties in New York. The woman who broke that barrier and paved the way for several others, the Hon. Christina L. Ryba, was recently appointed Administrative Judge for the Third Judicial District, which encompasses seven counties in the Albany area. In this episode of Amici, the Court System's podcast program, Justice Ryba discusses her journey, her dreams and her plans, and reveals personal details about her childhood, family — and year as the Albany Tulip Queen. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-06/Judge%20Ryba.pdf

    GRIP: A specialty court targeting girls of color in Family Court

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 11:51


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-07/GRIPCourt_0_0.pdf

    Pride 2019: Justice Garry delivers remarks opening series of Failla Commission Pride Month activities

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 7:35


    Adopting Foster Children: How court system employees Frank and Nancy Woods went from being a double income/ no kids (“DINK”) household to a family of . . . five.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 46:52


    Claire's Story: Hon. Salvatore R. Martoche discusses the loss of his daughter to an opiate addiction—and what the legal community can do to prevent similar tragedies

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 50:05


    Raise the Age: Deputy Chief Administrative Judges Edwina Mendelson and Michael Coccoma explain what will happen on Monday when NY raises the age of criminal responsibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 20:20


    Matthew Skinner: The day the Court of Appeals made Pride possible 6/12/18

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 29:52


    Transcript: Transcripts/AmiciSkinner.pdf

    Justice Brian D. Burns: Drug Treatment Courts in Otsego County -- and Dublin, Ireland

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 19:51


    Nancy Barry 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 19:38


    Nancy Barry 2020 by John Caher

    New York Legal Landmarks: A Chat with Author Robert Pigott

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 11:56


    Transcript: Transcripts/RobertPigott.pdf

    Basements, Attics and Bowels of the Court System: The Adventures of Chief Records Officer and Chief Law Librarian Geof Huth[1]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 31:13


    Justice Raja Rajeswari: The Inspiring Story of a Third World Immigrant Who Rose to the Judiciary

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 34:02


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/RajaRajeswari.pdf

    U-CAN: A Unique Mentoring Program Created by Cohoes Judge Andra Ackerman

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 16:21


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/AndraArbetter.pdf

    Pioneering Women Attorneys of the Third Judicial District:Cynthia S. LaFave

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 42:12


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-11/CynthiaLaFave6-27-19FINAL_0.pdf

    Pioneering Women Attorneys of the Third Judicial District: Carolyn George

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 42:44


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/15536

    Pioneering Women Attorneys of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Mae D'Agostino, Susanna Martin, Maureen Bonanni

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 95:02


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/15531

    Pioneering Women Attorneys of the Third Judicial District: Marge Karowe

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 60:51


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/15526

    A Chat with Judicial Pioneer Betty Weinberg Ellerin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 43:03


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/EllerinInterview.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Debra Young

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 13:59


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/DYoung12-5-16.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Mary Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 48:46


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/MWork1-24-17.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Beverly Cipollo Tobin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 29:45


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/BTobin11-18-16.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Cathryn Doyle

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 19:57


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/KDoyle12-05-16.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Mae D'Agostino

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 32:20


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/MaeDAgostino10-21-16.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Helena Heath

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 30:55


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/HHeath10-27-16.pdf

    Pioneering Women Judges of the Third Judicial District: Hon. Victoria Graffeo

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 41:04


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/admin/amici/Transcripts/VGraffeo10-27-16.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Elizabeth Booth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 23:27


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-08/Goodman-Booth_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Helen Zhu

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 21:49


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-08/Goodman-Zhu%20Final.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Tamara Kersh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 19:29


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-06/TamaraKersh.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Alia Razzaq

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 28:01


    Transcript: http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-05/Goodman-RazzaqFinal_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Lakisha Hickson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 14:26


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/18126

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Michelle Fogie

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 20:52


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/18131

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Michelle Foggie

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 20:52


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/18131

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Nala Woodard

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 21:00


    Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/doc/14006

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Hon. Joan B. Lefkowitz

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 30:23


    In this Jewish Heritage Month Diversity Dialogue segment, we are pleased to feature the Hon. Joan B. Lefkowitz. Judge Lefkowitz, who has been on the bench for 38 years, discusses the intricacies of holding true to her Orthodox traditions while serving in the relatively rigid environment of a Court System. It worked, she says, because both she and the Court System accommodated each other's needs. She also reveals that early in her career when she was young and married she was fired from a private sector job for getting pregnant. Diversity Dialogues is a presentation of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion

    A Journey from the Homeless Shelter to the Bench: Hon. Raymond P. Fernandez (edited)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 21:13


    A Journey from the Homeless Shelter to the Bench: Hon. Raymond P. Fernandez (edited) by John Caher

    A Journey From the Homeless Shelter to the Bench: Judge Raymond P. Fernandez

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 54:17


    Growing up in poverty with parents addicted to drugs, few would have predicted that Ray Fernandez would grow up to be a judge. In this Amici podcast, the Hon. Raymond P. Fernandez discusses his struggle, the guardian angels he encountered along the way, and the importance of rejecting victim mentality and learning to stand on top of, rather than be buried beneath, our past. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-04/Judge%20Fernandez.pdf

    Reflections on 47 Years in the Courts: Chief Luis Valcarcel

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2025 32:46


    On Sept. 11, 2001, then-Captain Luis Valcarcel of the Court System's Department of Public Safety happened to be in Albany attending a meeting on, of all things, emergency preparedness when the country was attacked by terrorists. He was viewing the events unfold on live television, watching as a large plane approached the World Trade Center, and knowing full well that his brother was inside that building. Over his 47 years with the courts, Chief Valcarcel witnessed the growth of a newly unified court system that evolved under the nine Chief Judges under which he served. He ushered in new eras in security and helped make the Department of Public Safety the robust, cutting edge force that is today. But nothing compares to the moment he saw the plane hit the World Trade Center where his brother was working. In this new Amici podcast, Chief Valcarcel, who is retiring effective April 1, shares his story of growing up in the Bronx with a little girl who is now one of the most influential individuals in the nation, as well his memories of 9/11 and the impact that day had not only on his life, but the entire court system. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-03/Chief%20Valcarcel%20final.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Hon. Sarika Kapoor

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 39:16


    In this episode of Diversity Dialogues, a production of the New York State Unified Court System's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Amici podcast program, we're going to pull back the curtain and try to see the world from a different set of eyes. We are going to explore how this world looks from the perspective of a little person, learn a little bit about the condition called “dwarfism,” and have a frank discussion about the challenges those with that condition encounter every day in our society. Our guest is the Hon. Sarika Kapoor, a judge in Nassau County who stands all of three foot, eight inches tall. Judge Kapoor is believed to be the first little person ever to serve in the New York State Judiciary. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-04/Judge%20Kapoor.pdf (NB: The podcast was recorded in October 2024) #dwarfism #achondroplasia

    Bridging the Gap: Civic Engagement with Zenith Taylor

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 9:31


    Civics Learning Week kicks off today and runs throughout the week, and for the first time ever the New York Court System is involved, reflecting a priority of New York Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson to promote civic education. In this short podcast, Zenith Taylor, the first Civic Engagement Coordinator in the courts, discusses the importance of civics education, what brought her to this position, and the activities the Unified Court System will engage in this week. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-03/zenith%20taylor-compressed_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Shane O'Donoghue

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 37:58


    In this St. Patrick's Day episode of Diversity Dialogues, we chat with Shane O'Donoghue, the child of Irish immigrants who discusses the centuries long ethnic and religious persecution of his ancestors in Ireland, and the discrimination and hatred the Irish endured in America. Shane, a management analyst in the Court System's Division of E-filing, covers the Cromwell reign of terror, the Great Hunger and, in this country, the nativist Know Nothing Party, which accused Irish and German immigrants of destroying the country by “poisoning the blood” of the nation, committing crimes and taking jobs that rightfully belonged to native born Americans. Diversity Dialogues is a production of the NYS Unified Court System's Office of Diversity & Inclusion. We live in a nation of immigrants, and our Diversity Dialogue segment is designed to highlight people in the court system who bring unique experiences and different perspectives to everything we do behind the scenes and in the courtroom. "[Diversity] is incredibly important," Shane said. "It creates an atmosphere of empathy. Once you see that diversity and you can see what other people's socio and economical challenges are or what their cultural problems that they faced, what their stories are, you kind of have a sense of empathy for them, and you want to give them a helping hand. You understand why things are the way they are and how things can get better." Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-03/Shane%20O%27Donoghue.pdf #StPatricksDay #DiversityDialogues #IrishImmigrants #HistoryLesson #CulturalHeritage #ImmigrationHistory #CourtSystem #DiversityAndInclusion #EmpathyInAction

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Joan Levenson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2025 33:01


    This episode of Diversity Dialogues, a production of the NYS Court System's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is a story of two young people from Poland who met in a displaced persons camp after World War II, found a way to emigrate to America, built a successful business, and raised two daughters who carry their memories, and to some extent, their trauma. One of those daughters is Joan Levenson, principal law clerk to the Hon. Deborah Kaplan and counsel to the New York State Judicial Committee on Elder Justice. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-01/Joan%20Levenson%20FINAL_0.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Eighth JD Executive Tasha Moore

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2024 34:53


    In this Veterans Day episode of Diversity Dialogues, a production of the New York State Unified Court System's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, we explore leadership, service and camaraderie from the perspective of a woman who followed an unlikely path to become an Army medic, treating Wounded Warriors during Operation Desert Storm, and then an equally unlikely path to become the first Black woman ever to serve as Deputy District Executive and now District Executive in the Eighth Judicial District. Ms. Moore discusses her journey, the influence of Buffalo area role models such as judges Wilbur Trammell, Samuel Green, Rose Sconiers, Shirley Troutman, Jeanette Ogden and Kevin Carter, and her commitment to lifting as she climbs. “It's very important that to the best of my ability, I make myself available to anyone who wants to speak to me, who I'm able to assist in moving forward, to the youth who come after us,” Ms. Moore said. “Every one of us has someone who was behind us, who has made it easier for us to get where we're going. And it is due to their hard work, their sacrifice, their willingness to lift as you climb.” Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2024-11/Tasha%20Moore.pdf

    Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Rafael Dilones on Hispanic Heritage

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2024 20:10


    In a new Diversity Dialogue podcast, Rafael Dilones, the Clerk of Richmond County Family Court and the child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, reveals that as a child he questioned whether he was fully American, even though, as a natural born citizen, he's as American as George Washington. He simply didn't see anyone who looked like him in authority positions. “When I was in grade school, none of my teachers were of color,” Rafael said. “They were all great teachers and very encouraging, but I didn't see anyone that looked like me, and I think that matters. When I saw people on TV, the people that had the power did not look like me, and the people that were marginalized, they were the people that looked like me. Representation matters so, so much, especially to the young kids. They need to see that not only are we a member of this society, but we have a lot to contribute.” Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2024-09/Rafael%20Dillones%20CORRECTED_0.pdf

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