Hon. Judy Harris Kluger is the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Court Operations and Planning for New York State. She is responsible for court reform, restructuring projects and specialized courts.

The major initiatives under Judge Kluger’s leadership include the Integrated Domestic Violence Court program. This sweeping reform of the state courts, which builds on a one family - one judge model for domestic violence cases, involves reorganizing a system that currently requires families affected by domestic violence to see multiple judges to resolve criminal, family and matrimonial matters in domestic violence cases. In 2005, Judge Kluger began overseeing the management of domestic violence courts, which handle criminal cases. As part of the domestic violence court initiative, Judge Kluger is working to implement Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Courts in jurisdictions with high caseloads. The Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Courts process criminal cases involving intimate partners where the defendant is aged 16 through 19.

In addition to overseeing the Integrated Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Youthful Offender Domestic Violence courts, Judge Kluger has recently assumed responsibility for the operation of Drug Treatment Courts statewide. These courts present an alternative to incarceration for non-violent drug-addicted defendants and seek to break the cycle of addiction and recidivism that perpetuates drug use and drug-related crime. Judge Kluger is also spearheading the reorganization of criminal case processing in Bronx County. Bronx County’s new streamlined, consolidated court of criminal jurisdiction, which began operating in November 2004, handles felonies and misdemeanors adjudicated in the Bronx.

In 2004, Judge Kluger assumed responsibility for improving public access to court records. Under her direction, the court system is examining ways to make public through the internet a full complement of court decisions, calendars, and selected case files while protecting litigants against the disclosure of non-public or highly sensitive information.

Most recently, Judge Kluger launched Mental Health and Sex Offense courts. Mental Health courts seek to match eligible offenders with treatment in order to address underlying mental health issues that have resulted in criminal behavior. Sex Offense courts incorporate judicial monitoring and work closely with probation and other outside groups to improve offender compliance and enhance victim safety.

Finally, Judge Kluger is responsible for the Community courts, a collaboration between entities, including citizens, criminal justice agencies, businesses and social service providers which results in neighborhood-focused problem solving. Community Courts sentence low-level offenders to pay back the community through community service, thereby enhancing appreciation of how crime affects victims and communities. These courts may also house an array of non-traditional programs, including community mediation, job training and homeless outreach to address problems that often underlie criminal behavior.

After graduating from New York University and St. John’s University Law School, Judge Kluger began her career as an assistant district attorney in Kings County, where she served as the Bureau Chief of the Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Bureau and later as Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. In 1988, she was appointed to the New York City Criminal Court. She was a key member of the development team at the Midtown Community Court where she presided from 1993 through 1996. The project received national acclaim for it’s innovative handling of quality of life crimes and began an era of development of problem solving courts throughout the country.

Judge Kluger served as Administrative Judge of the New York City Criminal Court from 1996 to 2003, where she brought a problem-solving and innovative approach to court operations and administration and developed specialized approaches for domestic violence and drug cases.

Judge Kluger is an active member of numerous professional associations, committees and advisory boards. She is co-chair of the Local Courts Advisory Committee of the Chief Administrative Judge. Judge Kluger is a frequent speaker and panelist and has been recognized for her work on many occasions, including receiving an award from the Mayor of the City of New York in 1999 for outstanding leadership in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. In March of 2004, she was honored by the Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence with the In the Trenches Award recognizing indomitable courage, vision, and dedication to ending violence against women. Most recently, in October 2005, she received the Abely Award for Leading Women and Children to Safety.

Information about Judge Kluger is also available on the Judicial Directory.