The New York Court of Appeals has its first openly gay judge.
Judge Paul Feinman was sworn in to fill the vacancy on New York’s highest court. He was praised by both Republicans and Democrats during his confirmation in June.
A judge for more than 20 years, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called Feinman a “trailblazer” dedicated to the causes of justice and fairness.
Feinman, who grew up in Nassau County, says he has fully recovered from leukemia following stem cell transplants.
Feinman fills the vacancy created by the death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam earlier this year.