WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 1, 2020 21
Q&A session with Judge Tracy A. Catapano-Fox,
Queens County Civil Court Supervising Judge
corrected to fit their Social Security
card. But then we have a tremendous
number of transgender people, particularly
younger people, who are
trying to find themselves and assert
who they are in this world. So, part
of my job is to help them change
their names to something that they
believe really and properly demonstrates
their person, and I love that
part of my job. I feel like I am helping
people.
A lot of the trial work we do is
great, but that is not at all a big part
of what we do. There is so much we
do behind the scenes with helping
people and helping people find justice.
It gives me the chills when I do
it. That’s why I wanted to be a judge
to try to help people and to do justice
in this world.
There are also women who are
domestic violence victims and no
longer want to carry their husband’s
name. That’s such a powerful thing
for them. You never really think
about it when you hear name change,
but it is such an important part.
SM: What prompted you to follow
a career in law?
TCF: I really do love the law. I love
the fact that you can learn the law
and use it to help people. It is just
such a sad time for us since we lost
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because
that was a woman who spent her entire
life working to making things
better for everyone, not just women.
Those are the type of people that I
admire, and it makes me want to do
better with the law. It makes me want
to be a better judge. I met Justice
Ginsburg in 2004, I think we were
fortunate to have her for so many
years on the bench and she is an
example for all of us.
BY DEAN MOSES
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Schneps Media is sitting down with
judges across the city’s court systems
to discuss their roles and how they’ve
changed in the age of COVID-19. This
week’s interview is with the Hon. Maurice
E. Muir, Supreme Court justice and
Civil Court judge in Queens County.
Schneps Media: Could you describe
your duties as a supervising
judge?
Hon. Tracy A. Catapano-Fox: I am
a supervising judge of Queens Civil
Court. My job is overseeing the operations
and administrations. Our cases
are housing cases and civil cases. We
have been incredibly active since the
pandemic began, even though we had
to switch to a mostly virtual process.
SM: How has the position/
proceedings changed during the
pandemic?
TCF: All the cases involving two
attorneys are actively proceeding
through virtual conferences. In July,
I’ve done two virtual trials since the
pandemic began. I have more trials
scheduled for next week and the coming
weeks that we are doing virtually.
It’s more time consuming. You take
for granted how much you can accomplish
when you have an entire courthouse
fi lled with people. Everyone
is there working together and we’re
able to resolve things. We have had
over 13,000 conferences since April
virtually. We have been really working
hard here to keep things moving
as much as humanly possible. But it’s
much harder online.
SM: Is there a silver lining that
you can fi nd from the pandemic?
TCF: We’ve been able to get to know
each other better than in the court because
of the volume. You really don’t
have a lot of time to speak to everyone
because you were running from
courthouse to courthouse, and trial
to trial. Now, doing it online, there is
this sense of trying to connect with
each other.
SM: Are there more technical
advancements that have been implemented
since the pandemic?
TCF: Chief Judge Janet Marie Di-
Fiore, head of New York courts, has
been phenomenal in getting our IT
department to really bring us into
the 21st century. We started off using
Skype and now we are using
Microsoft Teams to be able to do our
trials. Judge Anthony Cannataro is
our administrative judge for the Civil
Court, and he has been there every
day helping. Judge George Silver, who
is the deputy chief administrative
judge for all of New York courts is
someone who wants to make things
work. It’s been exciting to work for
people who are all about passion for
the courts.
SM: Have the technical advancements
made the workload more
seamless?
TCF: The calendars that I am
doing now are longer, but we are
getting more work done. I had a 12
p.m. conference with 300 cases. We
did it from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. We just
ran through it because it’s all online.
No one is talking unless you have to.
We could never do that in the courtroom.
We have managed to increase
our calendar capacity because of
the virtual nature. However, today
I have to do a daily activity report for
the 300 cases I conferenced that will
take about two hours. Now, there are
more steps involved since we are not
together.
SM: What are some of the most
common cases you deal with at
work?
TCF: One of my favorite parts of
my job is doing name changes. On
any given month I will sign about
200 name changes for people. Sometimes
it’s minor things because they
need to have their birth certificates
“YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS”
EVERYTHING FROM PRE-K TO COLLEGE!
Sign Up Now
For FREE
Student/Teacher
Discount Card
Save on
School Supplies
RIDGEWOOD OFFICE PRODUCTS CENTER
67-16 Fresh Pond Road - Ridgewood, NY 11385
(718) 386-3266
Student/Teacher Discount Card
For Purchases on School Supplies
Name_________________________ Exp. Date__________
Card No.______________________ S.P._______________
Red Dot & Sale Items Excluded
Signature___________________________________________________
*Valid Discount Card requied with each purchase.
Full Line of
Art Supplies
67-16 Fresh Pond Road, Ridgewood
718-386-3266
www.ridgewoodofficeprod.com
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
(Near • • Station)
Own A Building?
Check Out Our Rates
FREE INSURANCE QUOTES
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Specializing In
Apartment Buildings and Structures in Ridgewood and surrounding areas.
WE HAVE MANY COMPANIES & PROGRAMS. LET US QUOTE YOUR AUTO/LIFE/HOME.
DON’T DELAY- CALL TODAY AND SAVE!
��������������������������������������SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1949
MOSER GROUP INC.
73-06 Metropolitan Avenue (2nd Floor)Middle Village, NY (Near 73rd Place)
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
link
/www.ridgewoodofficeprod.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.ridgewoodofficeprod.com
link
link
/www.ridgewoodofficeprod.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.ridgewoodofficeprod.com
link
