Amici Podcast

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**Amici Podcast**

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.

Latest Episodes:

Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Nala Woodard Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

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

Promoting Diversity in the Courts: Hon. Joan B. Lefkowitz May 28, 2025

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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) Apr 06, 2025

Show notes

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 Apr 04, 2025

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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 Mar 23, 2025

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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 Mar 21, 2025

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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 Mar 05, 2025

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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 Mar 04, 2025

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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 Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

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 Nov 17, 2024

Show notes

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

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