Official: Supervisory judge for Nassau County Court appointed

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Teresa Corrigan, a former longtime prosecutor, will be the new supervising judge for Nassau County Court, a state courts spokesman said Tuesday.

Corrigan, 53, won election to the bench in 2012 for a term that lasts until 2022 and currently presides over criminal cases in the Nassau court.

The Democrat from New Hyde Park spent 23 years as a prosecutor in Nassau and Kings counties, and also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney, before becoming a judge.

The appointment follows acting State Supreme Court Justice Christopher Quinn’s recent announcement that he will resign from the role following his re-election.

Quinn, 62, said in a Nov. 30 letter to state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore that after serving as supervising judge for a number of years, he thought it was in the best interest of the court for him to return to working as a trial judge.

Corrigan graduated from New York Law School after earning a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany. In her community, the judge has served as a Girl Scouts leader, PTA committee chairwoman and Catholic Youth Organization basketball coordinator. While a prosecutor, Corrigan specialized in drug, gang, gun and public corruption cases.

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas called Corrigan “an accomplished jurist” in a statement Tuesday, saying her office looks forward “to working with her to enhance the fair and speedy administration of justice in Nassau County.”

Michael Elbert, president of the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Nassau County, praised Corrigan’s appointment by state Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks.

“She’s a great judge,” Elbert said. “I think she’ll handle the job well.”

Corrigan will be in charge of supervising operations of Nassau County Court, including grand jury processing, arraignments and 17 judges based in Mineola, according to state court officials.

In a recent decision of note, Corrigan dismissed conspiracy charges earlier this month against 21 alleged MS-13 street gang members nabbed in a June arrest sweep.

Corrigan said in her ruling there was “not one iota of evidence” that the defendants — aside from their alleged gang membership — agreed to take part in murder and felony assault. She also decided 13 of those 21 defendants still would face trials on other charges.

In another high-profile decision, Corrigan in 2014 granted convicted sex offender Jesse Friedman a hearing on his innocence claim, in connection with a Great Neck child sex-abuse case in which he pleaded guilty in 1988.

She also rejected Friedman’s bid to overturn his conviction based on other arguments, before recusing herself from the case.

Corrigan, who couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, will assume her new role Jan. 1.