Barry Kamins

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Barry Kamins was a New York City Criminal Court Judge as well as an adjunct professor at the Fordham University School of Law and Brooklyn Law School.[1]

Education[edit]

Kamins received his bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1965 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1968 from Rutgers School of Law—Newark.[2] He is a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School.

Legal career[edit]

Kamins served as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County from 1969 to 1973 where he rose to the rank of Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. Following his time at the District Attorney's Office, Kamins left to become a criminal defense lawyer in Brooklyn at the law firm of Flamhaft, Levy, Kamins, Hirsch & Rendeiro LLP. During his time in private practice, Kamins represented numerous lawyers and judges probed by the Appellate Division's disciplinary committee.[3]

In 2006, Kamins was elected president of the New York City Bar Association for a two-year term. Kamins became the first president of the City Bar with a law practice based outside of Manhattan in the association's 136-year history.[4]

Kamin taught courses on New York Criminal Procedure at Fordham University School of Law and Brooklyn Law School. Kamins authored numerous articles and publications, including New York Search & Seizure (1991).[5]

Judicial service[edit]

Kaims is a retired judge, originally appointed in 2008 to the New York City Criminal Court by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.[6] In 2009, Kamins was transferred from Manhattan to the Kings County Criminal Term after Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau appointed Kamins the Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters.[7]

2014 Department of Investigation Report[edit]

In a June 2014 report, the New York City Department of Investigation accused Kamins of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct by giving ex-Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes political and legal advice and by discussing cases being prosecuted by the District Attorney's office. Kamins was relieved of all administrative duties pending resolution of the investigation.[8] In the 27-page report, the DOI said Kamins shed his mandated neutrality when he “engaged in political activity by a sitting judge.”

Kamins was temporarily returned to duty as a Supreme Court Justice in Queens County in July 2014.[9][10]

Kamins agreed to retire, effective December 1, 2014, under a stipulation with the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, ending both his judicial career and the commission's investigation.[11]

Law Practice[edit]

In 2021, Kamins was retained by former mayor Rudy Giuliani as one of the lawyers in connection to the federal investigation against possible lobbying violations.[12] He also represented Giuliani when the former mayor's law license was suspended on June 24, 2021, by the NY Appellate Court for Giuliani's misleading statements about election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, some of which are alleged to have led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "News". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  2. ^ "Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary". www.nyc.gov. Archived from the original on 2003-10-12.
  3. ^ "Respected criminal law maven Kamins newly sworn in to serve in Manhattan". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  4. ^ "Brooklyn Law School: Faculty". Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  5. ^ "Shop Law Books & Legal Research Guides". Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  6. ^ "Press Release - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg". Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  7. ^ "New York City Criminal Lawyer". Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  8. ^ Clifford, Stephanie; Rashbaum, William K. (2 June 2014). "Ex-Brooklyn Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes Accused of Misuse of Funds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Welcome Justice Kamins back to the bench". 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Kamins Returning to Bench While Investigation Proceeds". Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  11. ^ "Kamins to Retire, Ending Judicial Conduct Proceedings". Archived from the original on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
  12. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Protess, Ben (2021-05-04). "Giuliani's Legal Bills Are Growing. His Allies Want Trump to Pay Them". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  13. ^ Hong, Nicole; Rashbaum, William K.; Protess, Ben (2021-06-24). "Court Suspends Giuliani's Law License, Citing Trump Election Lies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-14.

External links[edit]