Jill Epstein sworn in as Civil Court judge during Coney Island ceremony

January 7, 2019 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Hon. Jill Epstein is sworn in as a judge by her boss for the past nine years, Hon. Johnny Lee Baynes. She stands beside her parents, husband, son and niece during a ceremony in Coney Island. Eagle photos by Mario Belluomo

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Jill Epstein became the newest NYC Civil Court judge after she was sworn in during a ceremony at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Coney Island on Sunday by her former boss, Justice Johnny Lee Baynes.

“This has been a long time coming,” Justice Baynes said.

Epstein, who has worked as the law secretary to Justice Baynes for the past nine years, was surrounded by her family: parents Ben and Charlotte Epstein, husband Lee Rosalinsky, son Zachary and niece Valentina, when she was sworn in.

The ceremony was run by District Leader SueAnn Partnow, and the group of speakers included Hon. Frank Seddio, former Councilmember Lew Fidler, Hon. Lawrence Knipel and Justice Baynes. There was also a musical interlude by Epstein’s son Zachary and Alex Golden.

“Sometimes bigger isn’t always better,” Partnow said, taking a playful jab at Epstein’s height. “Remember when you were young and you always wanted the biggest gift at Christmas, or the biggest bowl of ice cream? As you get older you realize that bigger isn’t always better and that sometimes great things come in small packages.”

From left: Paul Nuccio, Hon. Theresa Ciccotto and Hon. Jill Epstein.

From left: Hon. Gina Levy Abadi, Hon. Jill Epstein and Susan Mauro.

Hon. Jill Epstein and Hon. Harriet Thompson.

From left: Hon. Lizette Colon, Hon. Jill Epstein and Councilmember Chaim Deutsch.

Hon. Joy Campanelli (left) and Hon. Jill Epstein.

From left: Hon. Kathy King, Hon. Johnny Lee Baynes, Hon. Jill Epstein, Hon. Frank Seddio, Hon. Sylvia Ash, and former state Sen. Jesse Hamilton.

From left: Hon. Lawrence Knipel, Hon. Jill Epstein, Hon. Mark Partnow and District Leader SueAnn Partnow.

Before Hon. Johnny Lee Baynes swore in Jill Epstein, he spoke about what an excellent law secretary she has been over the past nine years.

The event was packed with local elected officials, judges and members of the legal community. The Brooklyn bench was especially well represented with judges, including Hon. Mark Partnow, Hon. Reginald Boddie, Hon. Joy Campanelli, Hon. Kathy King, Hon. Debra Silber, Hon. Carolyn Wade, Hon. Deena Douglas, Hon. Sylvia Ash, Hon. Harriet Thompson, Hon. Lorna McAllister, Hon. Richard Montelione, Hon. Loren Baily Schiffman, Hon. Martin Schneier, Hon. Lillian Wan, Hon. Lizette Colon, Hon. Theresa Ciccotto and Hon. Gina Levy Abadi in attendance.

“I have always called Jill ‘Mighty Mite,’” Seddio said. “She has been so strong for so many people over the years. She has given her time to nearly all the men and women in this room to help to get them to where they are today. This is special for me, because we now get to reward and assist someone who is going to be an outstanding judge.”

“Everybody who knows Jill knows that she is smart and self assured; she is compassionate and long on experience,” Fidler said. “She’s a quality person who really understands why people go in front of a judge. She is qualified, will represent the people of Brooklyn and has strong Democratic ideals. She’s going to be a great judge.”

Both Justice Knipel, the administrative judge in the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, and her former boss Justice Baynes, talked about her exemplary work as a law secretary. Justice Baynes explained that during the complicated lawsuit that attempted to keep the Long Island College Hospital open, she played an important role.

“If you’ve ever seen the show ‘Game of Thrones,’ then you know what the hand of the king is,” Justice Baynes said. “Well during the LICH case, she was my hand of the king. It was a very serious case, and she handled everything … like an expert. You couldn’t talk to the judge during that case, but you could speak with the hand of the king.

“We’ve handled over 20,000 motions together, and she is ready to take on whatever she is confronted with.”

Epstein was elected to serve in Brooklyn Civil Court, but she will start in the Staten Island Civil Court because of a need there. Epstein said that she’s not worried where she starts her judicial career and is just excited to finally be named to the bench after two unsuccessful prior elections.

“I’ve wanted to be a judge since I was 12 years old,” Epstein said in front of a room of about 200 people. “It started when I first read the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, and I realized that judges really can change the world.”