07.01.20 — Professor Ari Waldman has been appointed by New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to a new commission charged with examining the enhanced use of technology and online platforms, among other innovations, and making recommendations to improve the delivery and quality of justice services, facilitate access to justice and better equip the New York state court system to keep pace with society’s rapidly evolving changes.
Comprising a distinguished group of judges, lawyers, academics and technology experts, the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts will explore regulatory, structural, technological and other innovations, providing short-term recommendations as the courts resume in-person operations while developing a blueprint for the court system of tomorrow. To this end, the commission will obtain widespread input through public comment, targeted outreach and the views of experts, proposing practical reforms that may be implemented by the court system or legislature.
Waldman, a leading authority on law and technology, joined Northeastern University’s faculty on July 1 as Professor of Law and Computer Science with a joint appointment at the School of Law and Khoury College of Computer Sciences. He studies asymmetrical power relations created and entrenched by law and technology, with particular focus on privacy, online harassment and the LGBTQ community.
“It’s a privilege to be part of this diverse commission on the future of the New York state courts,” said Waldman. “And now it's time to put that privilege to good use. We can build and reimagine what a court system should look like, not just during a pandemic, but one that protects privacy and achieves our social justice goals. I want to build courts that are structurally anti-racist, accessible to all and welcoming to those seeking justice against the powerful."
Commission members:
Chair
Henry M. Greenberg
Members
The Honorable Ariel E. Belen
Retired Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, and Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Kings County
Mark A. Berman
Partner, Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer
Andrew Brown
Managing Partner, Brown Hutchinson; Vice Chancellor, New York State Board of Regents; President-elect, New York State Bar Association
The Honorable Anthony Cannataro
Administrative Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York
Mylan Denerstein
Partner, Gibson Dunn
The Honorable Craig Doran
Administrative Judge for the Seventh Judicial District
Richard Edlin
Vice-Chairman, Greenberg Traurig
Robert Giuffra, Jr.
Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell
Dennis Glazer
Retired Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
The Honorable Timothy Idoni
County Clerk of Westchester
The Honorable Edwina G. Mendelson
Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives
Seymour James
Partner, Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco
Brad Karp
Chairman, Paul, Weiss Roger
Juan Maldonado
Partner, Smith, Gambrell & Russell; immediate past President of the New York City Bar Association
Jack Newton
Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Clio
Sharon Porcellio
Member, Bond Schoeneck & King; Co-Chair, Advisory Group to the New York State Federal Judicial Council
Paul Saunders
Chair, New York State Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law
Arthur Semetis
President, Arthur J. Semetis
Paul Shechtman
Partner, Bracewell
Michael Simons
Dean, St. John’s Law School Madeline Singas, Nassau County District Attorney
The Honorable Leslie Stein
Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals
Ari Ezra Waldman
Professor of Law and Computer Science, Northeastern University School of Law and Khoury College of Computer Sciences
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country and is a national leader in legal education reform. Founded with cooperative legal education as the cornerstone of its program, Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences. All students participate in full-time legal placements, and can choose from the more than 1,500 employers worldwide participating in the school’s signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experience to successfully practice law.
For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.