Mayor de Blasio Appoints Judges to Family Court

June 2, 2015

NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio today appointed Judge David Kaplan and Judge Emily Ruben to Family Court. As Family Court judges, Kaplan and Ruben will be charged with presiding over cases related to New York’s children and families.

“Family Court judges serve a special role in our judicial system because they oversee cases that are so important to New York’s families and to the well-being of our children,” said Mayor de Blasio. “All New Yorkers deserve fair and qualified judges to represent their best interest and the interests of our community. Judges Kaplan and Ruben both come with the experience and commitment to justice that this position requires and that our families so deserve.”

Family Court is part of the New York State Unified Court System. Family Court judges hear cases related to adoption, foster care and guardianship, custody and visitation, domestic violence, and abused or neglected children.

The Mayor swore in the following judges:

Judge David Kaplan, most recently served as Supervising Judge of Housing Court in New York County. He was first appointed as a Housing Court Judge in 2008. Prior to that, he served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick in the New York State Court of Appeals and was a Court Attorney to Housing Court Judges. Judge Kaplan received his law degree from Emory University School of Law.

Judge Emily Ruben, has served The Legal Aid Society, Civil Division for over 18 years as Attorney-in-Charge of the Brooklyn Neighborhood Office, co-Supervisor of the Domestic Violence Project, and Supervising Attorney of the Citywide Family Law Unit. She was a member of the Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence, which she co-chaired from 2009 through 2012. Ruben is also a member of the New York State Unified Court System’s Matrimonial Practice Advisory Committee, the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts, and co-chaired the Custody, Visitation, Order of Protection subcommittee of the New York City Family Court Advisory Committee. Judge Ruben received her law degree from New York University Law School.

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