Established 27 years ago by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Sanctuary for Families, and Columbia Law School, the Abely Awards honor individuals who have made a difference in the lives of survivors of gender violence and who embody Maryellen Abely’s compassion, zeal, energy, and dedication.
This year, we are thrilled to present the 2024 Abely Leading Women and Children to Safety Award to the Honorable Madeline Singas.
INTRODUCING JUDGE SINGAS
Judge Madeline Singas was appointed to the New York Court of Appeals in 2021 after thirty years of public service and leadership advancing safety and justice for the most vulnerable crime victims – children, the elderly, immigrants, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Early in her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County, Judge Singas specialized in combating domestic violence at a time when survivors had little faith in the criminal justice system. Working hard to change that perception and confronting the inadequacies suffered by gender violence survivors in the criminal justice system, Judge Singas focused on cases of domestic violence and sexual assault.
After joining the Nassau County District Attorney’s office in 2006, she established and served as Chief of its Special Victims Bureau assisting victims of elder abuse, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence; created the County’s first Office of Immigrant Affairs to help immigrants access criminal justice protections; and challenged a status quo that undervalued the rights and needs of women. In 2011 she became Nassau County’s Chief Assistant District Attorney and in 2015, and again in 2019, was elected to the position of Nassau County District Attorney, where she became a vocal advocate of criminal justice and gun violence reform.
Judge Singas has carried her passionate determination to advance gender justice and be a voice for gender violence survivors to her service on the bench of New York State’s highest court. During her tenure on the New York Court of Appeals, she has presided over landmark gender violence cases where she has brought to the fore with eloquence and urgency inequities faced by gender violence survivors in legal proceedings. She has also developed the Judges for Career Opportunities for Refugees (J-COR) program to assist Afghan refugees, shining a bright light on the plight of women in Afghanistan’s legal system who have fled persecution by the Taliban and supporting them in resuming their professional lives in New York State’s court system.
After graduating from Bronx High School of Science in Bronx, New York, Judge Singas earned her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College at Columbia University and her law degree from Fordham University School of Law.