JOAN POSNER
Democratic Candidate for Family Court Judge
There are six county-wide judgeships in the Dutchess County court system, each carrying a term of ten years. The Republican Party has always controlled all six seats. This year two of them will be open, giving the Democratic Party a chance to begin redressing this historical imbalance.
To fill one of the two open positions, the Rhinebeck Democratic Committee and its parent organization, the Dutchess County Democratic Committee, have enthusiastically and unanimously endorsed the candidacy of Joan Posner for Family Court Judge, to fill the 2009-2018 term. Many other town democratic committees – too numerous to list – have done the same.
That will give readers some idea of the strength of Joan’s candidacy. To give you a sense of the importance of the role she seeks, here are the responsibilities that Joan (who has served 20 years as the Principal Court Attorney for the judge she hopes to succeed) has chosen to emphasize.
“Family Court . . . deals with very difficult and emotional issues, such as: which parent shall be granted custody of children; whether a child is a juvenile delinquent; whether a person’s parental rights will be terminated; whether an order of protection should be issued; or whether someone should be sent to jail for failing to pay child support . . . There is no jury in Family Court to make these decisions [which have] significant and long-term impact on families in Dutchess County. The responsibility rests soley with the Judge.”
Though not mentioned above, domestic violence is another primary concern for Joan. She teaches seminars and classes on family law, featuring this subject, and is principal author of a bench manual on domestic violence, which guides town and village justices in handling such cases. On the sunnier side, Joan particularly enjoys working on adoptions. Dealing with the range and depth of the issues involved in this judgeship requires sensitivity, insight, stability, and humor and patience, all qualities which Joan communicates easily and which are illustrated by her record.
A resident of Dutchess County for 28 years, Joan is married to David Posner, an attorney and partner at McCabe and Mack, in Poughkeepsie. Their children, Michael and Elizabeth, graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School and have pursued graduate degrees in Boston and Texas, respectively. Joan herself received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell and her Doctor of Law degree from New York University in 1975. She has practiced law in the public sector ever since, and has been honored for her professional work in domestic violence, battered women’s services, and the art and practice of mediation. In 2005 she received the Joseph F. Gagliardi Award for Excellence from the Westchester County Bar Association and in 2007 was honored as a “Women of Grace” by the Grace Smith House.
In her current role as Principal Court Attorney to Judge Damian Amodeo, Joan has drafted almost 1,000 decisions and has provided research and analysis on most of the 39,000 cases which have come before their court. It’s hard to imagine a candidate more personable and qualified. It’s hoped that all of our readers will inform themselves about her qualifications.
