Governor Hochul Announces Designations to the Appellate Divisions in the Second and Third Judicial Departments

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the designation of Justice Lisa Ottley as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Department and Justice Christina Ryba as an Additional Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Third Department.

"Today, I'm strengthening New York's Appellate Courts by announcing the designations of two women whose legal expertise, judicial temperament and commitment to justice will ensure New York's laws are applied fairly and correctly," Governor Hochul said. "With the appointment of Justice Ottley and Justice Ryba, our courts will continue to uphold the public trust and serve as places of integrity and justice for all New Yorkers."

Honorable Lisa S. Ottley
The Honorable. Lisa S. Ottley is an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term of the Supreme Court, presiding in the Second, 11th, and 13th Judicial Districts since her appointment in 2023. She presides in the Supreme Court, Kings County over a motion part covering various civil matters, bench, and jury trials. Prior to her appointment to the Appellate Term, Justice Ottley heard guardianship matters, and presided over jury and non-jury trials from 2016 to 2023.

Elected to the Civil Court in 2008, Justice Ottley was appointed the Supervising Judge of the Kings County Civil Court in 2010, the first African American Judge to be appointed to that position in Kings County.

Justice Ottley serves on the Guardianship Advisory Committee and is a lecturer and planning committee member at the Judicial Institute. She obtained her law degree from Temple University School of Law. She is a member of Brooklyn Community Church, and is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first African American Sorority founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University.

Honorable Christina L. Ryba
The Honorable Christine L. Ryba is the first Black person ever elected to the Supreme Court in the Third Department and will be the first Black justice elected from the Third Department to serve on the Appellate Division.

Justice Ryba was elected in 2015 to serve as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in the Third Judicial District, and in May 2025 she was appointed Administrative Judge of the District. Prior to this role, she served as Supervising Judge of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District. She currently serves as co-chair of the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, the mission of which is to ensure equal access to justice in New York State.

Before taking the bench, Justice Ryba worked for the state courts in a variety of positions, including Special Projects Counsel to the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Courts Outside New York City and Special Projects Counsel to the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General, attorney for the City of Albany, and an Associate at Nixon Peabody.

Justice Ryba is first vice president of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York; member of the New York Women Judges Association and Judicial Friends Association; past president of the Albany County Bar Foundation and the Albany County Bar Association; member of the American Bar Association; and Chair of the Judicial Hearing Officer Selection Advisory Committee of the Third Department.

Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division Elizabeth Garry said, "On behalf of the Third Department, I thank Governor Hochul for this historic appointment. I have every confidence that Justice Ryba will continue to make great contributions to the judiciary and our community in this new and well deserved role. Justice Ryba brings a decade of judicial service as a Supreme Court Justice, and has demonstrated her commitment to fairness and justice throughout her career, notably serving as the Co-Chair of the court system's Permanent Commission on Access to Justice. She has earned the respect of her colleagues by her work in both legal and administrative roles, as both the Supervising Judge and ultimately the Administrative Judge overseeing court operations for the entire Third Judicial District. We look forward to working with her in the years ahead!"

Contact the Governor's Press Office