Judith J. Gische, a longtime New York jurist and former Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, is the subject of recent online reports claiming that she has died. However, no authoritative public source reviewed has confirmed her death at this time. There is no verified family obituary, funeral-home announcement, New York State Unified Court System memorial notice, or established news report confirming her passing, so the reports should be treated as unverified.
Justice Gische built a distinguished career across several levels of New York’s judiciary. She began as a Housing Court judge in 1990, was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 1993, and later served as an Acting Justice and then elected Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. In October 2012, she joined the Appellate Division, First Department, where the official court record lists her tenure through 2022.
Her professional life also extended into legal education. Gische earned her undergraduate and law degrees from SUNY Buffalo and began her legal career as an appellate court clerk before entering private practice and eventually taking the bench. She later served as an adjunct professor at New York Law School, combining her judicial experience with a role in educating future lawyers. The New York State Bar Association continues to identify her as a retired judge in its professional programming.
For the New York legal community, Gische’s name is associated with more than a decade of service on the First Department and a judicial career spanning more than three decades. Her work moved through trial and appellate courts, giving her a broad connection to New York’s justice system. If a confirmed announcement of her passing emerges, tributes from former colleagues, lawyers, students, and others who worked with her may provide a fuller picture of her personal and professional legacy.
At present, however, details about a date of death, cause of death, surviving relatives, funeral arrangements, or memorial services cannot responsibly be stated as fact. The most respectful approach is to await confirmation from her family, the New York judiciary, an authorized funeral provider, or an established news organization. Until then, Judith Gische’s documented legacy remains that of a longtime New York judge, appellate justice, and legal educator whose career left a significant mark on the state’s judicial system.
