Judith Gische New York NY Obituary-Death: What Is Known About the Former New York Appellate Justice

Judith Gische is a respected figure in New York’s legal community, having spent decades serving in the state judiciary. She was an Associate Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, where she served from 2012 until 2022. Her judicial career began much earlier, including service in New York City’s Housing Court and Civil Court before she moved to the Supreme Court.

Because online searches can quickly circulate unverified claims, the distinction between a retirement notice and a death announcement is important in Gische’s case. Public court records identify her as a former or retired member of the First Department, but that information does not establish that she has passed away.

Gische’s judicial career began in May 1990, when she was appointed as a Housing Court judge in Kings County. She later became a judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York, serving in its Civil and Small Claims Parts. In 1997, she was appointed an Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, where she sat in the Civil Term in New York and Bronx counties.

She was elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 2008 and subsequently joined the Appellate Division, First Department, in October 2012. Her work at the appellate level placed her among the judges responsible for reviewing decisions from lower courts and considering significant questions of New York law.

Her educational background also reflects a long connection to New York and the legal profession. Gische attended Queens College before earning her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1977. She graduated magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She later earned her Juris Doctor degree from the same institution in 1980.

Before becoming a judge, Gische worked as a judicial clerk with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Third Department. She subsequently practiced law with Richenthal, Abrams and Moss before entering the judiciary.

Her professional work extended beyond the courtroom. Gische has also been associated with New York Law School, where she served as an adjunct professor. Her experience across private practice, trial-level courts, appellate work and legal education gave her a career spanning several areas of the New York legal system.

A University at Buffalo School of Law oral history also provides personal background about Gische, describing her upbringing in Queens and her decision to pursue law after studying philosophy. The account notes that she met her husband, Steven Schurkman, while attending law school.

Despite the renewed online interest in Judith Gische’s name alongside terms such as “death” and “obituary,” there is presently no verified death announcement that establishes a date of death, cause of death or funeral arrangements. No reliable obituary information should therefore be presented as fact without confirmation from her family, representatives, the courts or another authoritative source.

This distinction is particularly important when reporting about a former public official. Retirement from judicial service can sometimes be mistaken online for a major life event, while search-engine results and reposted headlines may amplify claims that have not been independently confirmed.

For now, the documented record is that Judith J. Gische had a lengthy career in New York’s judiciary, including a decade on the Appellate Division, First Department, before her judicial service ended in 2022. Her professional legacy includes years of work in housing, civil, Supreme Court and appellate matters, as well as contributions to legal education.

Until an authoritative announcement confirms otherwise, reports describing Judith Gische as deceased should be treated with caution. There is no verified cause of death to report, and publishing one without confirmation would risk spreading inaccurate information about a longtime member of New York’s legal community.