Rachel Freier sworn in as NY’s first Hasidic female supreme court judge
November 21, 2023 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor
Attorney General Letitia James conducts the historic swearing-in ceremony for Rachel Freier, the first Hasidic female judge on the New York Supreme Court. Photos courtesy of Justice Rachel Freier.
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Judge Rachel Freier made history in New York’s legal community on Wednesday by becoming the first Hasidic female judge to serve on the New York Supreme Court.
Her induction ceremony, held at Brooklyn Law School in Downtown Brooklyn, was a significant event attended, among others, by Holocaust survivors, including her 100-year-old father-in-law and 99-year-old aunt. Elected officials and her daughter Leah Freier also attended, celebrating Freier’s commitment to community service and her journey against opposition.
Born and raised in Borough Park, Freier’s journey began in a traditional Hasidic Jewish family. Despite the constraints of her community, she pursued higher education, starting as a legal secretary and paralegal, supporting her husband through his studies. She later graduated from Touro College with a political science degree and earned her law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2005.