Date: September13, 2000

Judge Lippman said, "Justice O'Shea has served the courts in the Sixth Judicial District for some twenty years, both as a judge and court employee. She has shown herself to be a fair, knowledgeable and productive jurist who is conversant in many areas of law and who is attuned to the needs of the public and litigants. As an active member of the Sixth District's legal community, participating in several task forces and committees, Justice O'Shea has gained insight into many important issues impacting our justice system and the community. This, coupled with her two decades of experience within the court system, make Justice O'Shea an ideal candidate for the position of Administrative Judge. I have every confidence that she will be a strong and innovative leader into the twenty-first century."

Elected to the State Supreme Court last year, Justice O'Shea has been serving in Tioga, Schuyler and Tompkins Counties in the Sixth Judicial District. She was a Family Court Judge in Chemung for seven years prior, during which time she also served as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court. Before  her judicial tenure, Judge O'Shea served as a Confidential Law Clerk in Supreme, County, Family and Surrogate's Courts. She is active in a number of the Judiciary's committees, including the New York Courts Year 2000 Community Outreach Initiative, the Family Violence Task Force and the Gender Fairness Committee, which she formerly chaired, as well as having participated in the Sixth Judicial District's Task Force on Reducing Litigation Cost and Delay. Judge O'Shea is currently a member of the Governor's Task Force on School Violence and was the director and founding member of Chemung County's CASA program, which advocates for and assists children in foster care. Justice O'Shea graduated from Albany Law School and Skidmore College.

In her new position, Justice O'Shea replaces Hon. Robert S. Rose, who was appointed to the Appellate Division in the Third Department earlier this year. Hon. Robert W. Coutant has been serving as Acting Sixth District Administrative Judge in the interim.

Judge Lippman further said, "I want to express my gratitude to Justice Rose for his outstanding service as Sixth District Administrative Judge over the last two years, during which time he instituted several operational innovations to enhance the district's productivity. The energy and dedication that he brought to his duties greatly benefitted both the courts and the community. I would also like to thank Justice Coutant for his years of invaluable service as Administrative Judge and for his willingness to step in on an interim basis after Judge Rose's appointment to the Appellate Division. Finally, I would like to thank Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Traficanti for his assistance in the screening process for this position."