For the past generation, the demographics of criminal court judges in New York City has changed markedly.  For the most part, they are young, inexperienced and have held no job outside of the District Attorney’s office.  While there are exceptions, it’s rare to have someone appointed a criminal court judge who comes to the job after having a long and distinguished career in the criminal law. 

Well, that’s changed with Mayor Bloomberg’s appointment of Brooklyn’s premier criminal defense lawyer, Barry Kamins, to the bench.  Barry, who is not only recognized for decades of superb work, first as a prosecutor in Brooklyn and subsequently as a founding partner in Flamhaft Levy Kamins Hirsch & Rendeiro, is also one of the nicest, most helpful lawyers around. 

It’s rather hard to imagine the Honorable Barry sitting on the lobster shift at 100 Centre Street, watching the parade of prostitutes plead guilty and get a day of community service (isn’t that why they were arrested in the first place?).  This is a brilliant and distinguished lawyer, who would fit in well in the Southern or Eastern Districts.  The criminal court bench seems, well, just a little underwhelming for someone with Barry’s experience.

From the Brooklyn Eagle :

He is a professor at Brooklyn and Fordham law schools, and an acknowledged expert in the area of illegal searches and seizures in the state of New York. He wrote the book on it, in fact; it is called “New York Search and Seizure,” and it is relied on heavily by defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges throughout the state.

Kamins also wrote the Sentencing Guidelines for the New York Penal Law, and is co-chair of the New York State Chief Judge’s Advisory Committee on criminal law. He writes a column for the New York Law Journal, and was recently named chairman of the New York State Bar Association’s task force on wrongful convictions.

For the man who has served as president of the Kings County Criminal Bar Association in the 1980s, president of the Brooklyn Bar Association in the 1990s, and president of the New York City Bar Association last year, the legal résumé goes on and on…

While racking up points on a résumé isn’t necessarily proof of qualifications, any more than all those quaint pieces of parchment we hang on the wall to impress clients, Barry Kamins is the real thing.  Though I’m still having trouble seeing him handling misdemeanors, and hope that the Office of Court Administration doesn’t waste his talent and experience in some AP part on the fourth floor (as in, make him an Acting Supreme tomorrow, guys), Barry, I mean the Hon. Barry, is as fine a choice for the bench as exists in New York City.

Congratulations, and I might even take a misdemeanor case if I can try it before the Honorable Barry Kamins.