N.Y. judge issues her unofficial ruling on vaccine mandate

A judge on New York’s highest court has issued her unofficial ruling on employer-mandated vaccinations: not for me.

Judge Jenny Rivera, one of seven jurists on the state’s Court of Appeals, has been referred to a disciplinary commission and could be kicked off the bench for failing to comply with a rule requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19, according to the Associated Press.

She is already barred from court facilities and has been working remotely since October, court officials said. She is one of four judges statewide who have been referred to the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct for being out of compliance with the mandate that applies to all court personnel, according to the wire service.

“We had made it clear from the outset that any Judge not in compliance subjects themselves to a referral to the Commission on Judicial Conduct for their determination,” a court spokesperson told a reporter, adding that “she is not in compliance with the court’s vaccination policy.”