A Rockland County Supreme Court justice will step down from the bench later this year and is permanently barred from holding any future judicial office in New York following the conclusion of a judicial ethics investigation.
Justice Sherri Eisenpress has agreed to resign effective April 28, 2026, as part of a disciplinary stipulation reached with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Under the agreement, Eisenpress committed to never seeking or accepting another judgeship in New York State.
The Commission announced that the disciplinary matter will be formally closed under the terms of the agreement, but noted that the case could be reopened if Eisenpress violates any of its conditions. As part of the resolution, Eisenpress waived confidentiality, allowing the details of the stipulation to be made public.
The ethics investigation centered on allegations that Eisenpress failed to recuse herself from numerous cases involving attorneys with whom she had close personal and professional relationships. According to the Commission’s amended formal complaint, the conduct occurred in at least 55 cases between 2019 and 2024. Investigators alleged that Eisenpress presided over matters involving attorneys she socialized and vacationed with, without making proper disclosures or stepping aside from the cases.
The complaint also raised concerns that Eisenpress continued to oversee matters involving a law firm connected to her court attorney’s spouse, despite requests for her recusal. She later stepped aside from some of those cases, though the Commission determined that the issues warranted formal disciplinary action.
As part of the agreement, Eisenpress did not admit to misconduct. However, by choosing to retire and accept a lifetime ban from judicial office, she avoided a full disciplinary hearing and potential sanctions.
Eisenpress has served in Rockland County’s court system for more than a decade. She previously spent approximately 10 years as a Family Court judge before being elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 2023.
The Commission said the resolution underscores the importance of judicial impartiality and the need for judges to avoid both actual conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety, in order to maintain public confidence in the court system.
In a statement released to the press, Eisenpress said, “It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to serve the people of New York for more than fourteen years as a Family Court Judge and Supreme Court Justice. While I disagree with many aspects of the Commission’s position on this matter, and have submitted a detailed and substantive response to the allegations, I have nevertheless concluded that the most responsible course for my family was to step aside rather than subject litigants, myself, the court system, and my colleagues to a prolonged and financially draining proceeding. I remain proud of my work, grateful to those with whom I served, and deeply committed to the principles of fairness, integrity, and public trust that define our courts.”
What about the 55 cases. Don’t think justice was done there.
B”H
A similar thing happened in Brooklyn during the years 2012-13 where the chief adminstrative judge over all City criminal courts was made to resign in order to avoid prosecution, which affected the Jewish community in this entire region in such manner which cannot be overstated.