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Judge Elaine Zaritsky Slobod
Supreme Court Justice
 28 YEARS OF JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE
Welcome Endorsements About Judge Slobod
In Brief In Detail In the News

Judge Slobod grew up in Orange County.  She is the youngest of three children born to Frances and Isidore Zaritsky.  Her parents worked together running a manufacturing business in Middletown, while raising their family.  They instilled in Judge Slobod a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility to her family and to her community. 

After graduating from Middletown High School, Judge Slobod went on to college, majoring in clinical psychology.  After graduating from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Judge Slobod enrolled at New York University School of Law.  Upon graduating from law school, Judge Slobod and her husband Jack moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where her husband completed his education at the George Washington University Law School.  In 1974, after the birth of their two children, the Slobods decided it was time to come home.  Judge Slobod's widowed mother and both of her brothers and their families still lived in Middletown.

Upon coming home, Judge Slobod and her husband practiced law together in downtown Middletown.  They not only worked hard in their practice but also became active in their community.  They were and still are tireless workers for charitable causes. In addition, they made sure there was always time for their young family.

In 1979, Judge Slobod was tapped to be Middletown City Court Judge. She was the first woman to ever serve in that position.  She was initially appointed by Mayor Myron Perry.  That same year, she ran for and was elected to a full term as Middletown City Court Judge.  As a City Court Judge, she started a Community Service Program for youthful offenders and encouraged the formation of the alternative dispute program in that Court.  She served in the Middletown City Court with distinction for five years before being elected to the Orange County Family Court in 1983. 

Judge Slobod was the first woman to be elected to a county wide judicial office in Orange County.  What she found when she was elected to the Family Court bench was a court with few services for the litigants that came before the court.  Judge Slobod was instrumental in the formulation of a Mental Health Assessment Team for the Family Court, a forensic team knowledgeable in the issues relevant to custody evaluations, the Court Appointed Special Assistant program, a program designed to prevent children from falling through the cracks while in foster care, and a parental educational program to inform parents about the legal process and how it effects their children.

In addition, Judge Slobod was a moving force in obtaining for the Court a children's nursery for children whose parents are waiting to be heard in the Court.  That area provides supervised play for children away from the stress of the Family Court waiting room. 

In 1994, Judge Slobod was elected Surrogate Judge of Orange County  In addition to her duties as Surrogate Judge, she also carries a 100% caseload of matrimonial matters and an 80% caseload of all other Supreme Court matters.  She is the only county level judge in Orange County to be assigned such a heavy load of Supreme Court matters.  She has a well deserved reputation for disposing of her cases fairly and expeditiously. 

Both the Orange County Bar Association and the Orange-Sullivan Women's Bar Association have recognized Judge Slobod for her service to the community.  She was awarded the Liberty Bell Award for her dedication and long standing service to the people of Orange County.  She was awarded the Rose Rosen Award by the Women's Bar Association for her outstanding service and dedication to the legal profession.

For more than 27 years, Judge Slobod has been a frequent lecturer to judges, attorneys and the public on a variety of legal issues.