On November 15, 2018, SJI Board member Jonathan Lippman was among five inducted into the Warren E. Burger Society. Burger Society membership is reserved for individuals who have volunteered their time, talent, and support to the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) in exceptional ways.
Chief Judge Lippman (ret.) is currently Of Counsel for Latham & Watkins, LLP in New York City, New York. He previously served as Chief Judge of the State of New York and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a position he held since 2009. Chief Judge Lippman spent his entire legal career in the New York State court system, serving for 40 years in a variety of roles. He was Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Department from 2007 to 2009; an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term for the Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts from 2006 to 2007; a Justice of the Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District from 2006 to 2009; and Chief Administrative Judge of all New York State Courts from 1996 to 2007. Chief Judge Lippman is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices, former President of the Conference of State Court Administrators, and former Vice Chair of the Board of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, which the NCSC awarded to him in 2008. He was appointed to the SJI Board of Directors in 2013.
Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) President, Chief Justice Paul Reiber (VT) and NCSC President Mary McQueen presided over the ceremony. Joining Chief Judge Lippman in the celebration were his wife Amy, Chief Justice and SJI Board Chair John Minton (KY), and SJI Executive Director Jonathan Mattiello.
The Burger Society is named for the former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who, with the Conference of Chief Justices, helped found the NCSC in 1971. A press release is available with full details on the other recipients.