10th Anniversary Celebration

The Center for Court Innovation marked its 10-year anniversary in 2006 with a reception at the Bar Association of the City of New York.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Judge Jonathan Lippman and Judge Judith S. Kaye (Ret.) were among the over 300 people who attended the Jan. 25 gathering. Bloomberg said he has long been an admirer of the Center and credited it with promoting “innovation and … accountability in the public sector.” He also noted that the Center has inspired “the creation of problem-solving courts throughout the city and the world.”

Former New York State Chief Judge Kaye called the Center’s first 10 years “a magical decade,” and noted many of the Center’s accomplishments, among them “finding ways for our courts, while delivering justice, to save lives and improve public safety.” Kaye also spoke about the “magic” visitors feel at Center demonstration projects like the Red Hook Community Justice Center, Midtown Community Court and Bronx Community Solutions.

Jonathan Lippman, now the chief judge of New York State, praised the Center for being able to “not only generate good ideas,” but “implement them as well.” Because of its effectiveness, Lippman said the Center had become “a permanent part of the way we do business here in New York.”

Other speakers included Barry M. Kamins, president of the Bar Association of the City of New York; Mary McCormick, president of the Fund for the City of New York; and Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation.

The celebration took place in the marble-columned headquarters of the city’s Bar Association. In addition to honoring the Center, speakers also praised the Center's parent organizations, the Fund for the City of New York and the New York State Unified Court System. The celebration featured a short video about the history of the Center and the unveiling of the Center’s newest book, Documenting Results: Research on Problem Solving Justice.

Among those in attendance were New York City Deputy Mayors Patti Harris and Carol Robles Roman, New York City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo and numerous commissioners, City Council members and administrative judges.

Also present were notable alumni of the Center for Court Innovation, including John Feinblatt, the Center’s founding director who now serves as the city’s criminal justice coordinator, and Amanda Burden, the city’s planning commissioner.

“When we first started talking about creating an independent research and development arm for the courts, there were many who said that ‘court innovation’ was an oxymoron,” said Greg Berman, the Center’s director. “I think we’ve shown over the past decade that courts can indeed adapt to changing times and respond to emerging problems.”

Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye's (Ret.) speech at the Center's 10th anniversary celebration.