Judge Madeline Singas

Madeline Singas serves as Associate Judge on the New York Court of Appeals. A career public servant, she was appointed to the Court by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021. Judge Singas started her career as a prosecutor in Queens County before joining the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office in 2006. There, she established the county’s first Special Victims Bureau, serving the most vulnerable victims—children, the elderly, and victims of domestic and sexual abuse—through innovative initiatives to eradicate gender-based violence, increase access to justice for victims and survivors, and safeguard the rights of people impacted by the justice system.

Before joining the Court, Judge Singas was twice overwhelmingly elected District Attorney of Nassau County, a county of nearly 1.4 million residents. During her tenure, violent crime dropped by more than 22% and U.S. News and World Report named Nassau County the safest community in America in consecutive years. Simultaneously, the District Attorney’s Office designed and implemented specialized programs for adolescent offenders, veterans, and those suffering from mental illness or drug addiction, including establishing the region’s first 24/7 medically assisted crisis treatment facility; creating a new division charged with helping justice-involved people access services, support, and job training; creating new prosecutorial units focused on hate crimes, crimes against immigrants, and crimes against the elderly; and establishing the county’s first Family Justice Center.

Judge Singas has advocated for women throughout her career, including by promoting women’s careers, increasing the percentage of women managers, and implementing new policies granting attorneys family leave. In 2018, Judge Singas was appointed special prosecutor to investigate allegations of sexual assault against the then-New York State Attorney General. While on the Court of Appeals, she created the Judges for Career Opportunities for Refugees program to place Afghan refugees with legal experience into positions within New York’s Unified Court System.

The daughter of Greek immigrants, Judge Singas grew up in Astoria, Queens. She is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, Barnard College, Columbia University, and Fordham University School of Law. She is the proud mother of twins and lives on Long Island with her husband.