LGBTQ+ Judges Celebrate the Career of Judge Paul Feinman

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges celebrates the career of Judge Paul Feinman upon his retirement from the New York Court of Appeal, the state's highest court. First elected to the state Supreme Court in 2007, Judge Feinman served as President of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges from 2008 to 2011 and is a beloved and essential member of the Association. Upon elevation to the state's highest court in 2017, Judge Feinman became the Court of Appeal's first openly gay member, opening the door for LGBTQ+ judges in New York and beyond.

The Association is enormously proud of Judge Feinman and his contributions to diversifying the bench. LGBTQ+ Judges' President Judge Tara Flanagan of the Alameda County, California Superior Court stated:

"Judge Feinman's exceptional legal career and judicial accomplishments in
New York and his too-soon retirement remind us of  LGBTQ+ Judges' mission
and duty to identify, mentor, and support exceptionally well-qualified LGBTQ+
attorneys to assume the bench. We are holding Judge Feinman, his husband
Robert and his extended family in our thoughts and prayers as he attends to
his health concerns."

Since 1993, the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges has worked to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ judicial officers so as to serve as role models for other LGBTQ+ people and to bring to the attention of the general public the prominence of these judicial officers. With members in nearly every state, province, and on five continents, LGBTQ+ Judges work to ensure equal access, fair treatment, and respect for diversity for all those in the justice system.

The National LGBT Bar Association's Executive Director D'Arcy Kemnitz commented, "Judge Feinman has been a trailblazer in the judiciary for decades. As a lawyer and judge who was openly out as a gay man at a time when that was deeply risky for many people to do in everyday life, let alone in a profession as inherently conservative as the law. He inspired generations of lawyers and law students to see what is possible for our careers and for our lives. All of us in the legal profession owe him a debt of gratitude. He will be sorely missed on the bench."

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SOURCE National LGBT Bar Association

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