New York State Judge In Trouble For Not Complying With Vaccine Mandate

A judge in New York State may be facing disciplinary action after allegedly not complying with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. She could be removed from serving on New York's highest court due to her non-compliance. Judge Jenny Rivera is one of seven jurists in the New York State Court of Appeals, which is the equivalent of the United States Supreme Court. She is also one of four judges in the state that has been reported to the Commission on Judicial Conduct over her vaccination status. A courts spokesperson, Lucian Chalfen, said,

We had made it clear from the outset that any Judge not in compliance subjects themselves to a referral to the Commission on Judicial Conduct for their determination. She is not in compliance with the court’s vaccination policy.

In 2021, the New York State court system put a vaccine mandate in place. Recently, on March 21, 2022, 156 court employees were notified that they would be terminated from their jobs if they did not provide proof of vaccination by April 4.

Credit: The Graduate Center, CUNY via Youtube

COVID-19 Positivity Rates Are Increasing Again In New York State

The news about Judge Rivera comes as we are again seeing increases in COVID-19 cases around the state. If the numbers continue to rise, New York State may put mask and vaccine mandates back in place. Here are the 7-day average positivity rates reported by the Governor's Office in the various regions around the state for March 10 and April 6, 2022 (the most up-to-date data):

Statewide - March 10 - 1.44% / April 6 - 3.39%

Capital Region - March 10 -2.44% / April 6 - 4.52%

Central New York - March 10 - 4.36% / April 5 - 9.86%

Finger Lakes - March 10 - 2.02% / April 5 - 5.76%

Long Island - March 10 - 1.53% / April 5 - 3.49%

Mid-Hudson - March 10 - 1.56% / April 5 - 3.78%

Mohawk Valley - March 10 - 2.18% / April 5 - 4.30%

New York City - March 10 - 1.00% / April 5 - 2.40%

North Country - March 10 - 3.14% / April 5 - 4.63%

Southern Tier - March 10 - 2.37% / April 5 - 5.05%

Western New York - March 10 - 1.86% / April 5 - 5.14%

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