Hon. Linda Christopher is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. She was appointed to the Appellate Division by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017.
At the time of her appointment, Christopher was a justice of the Westchester County Supreme Court in the Ninth Judicial District of New York. She was elected to the Supreme Court bench in 2010. She was then appointed supervising judge of the Matrimonial Part in the Ninth Judicial District in 2014.
Over the course of her judicial career, Christopher has also served as a judge for the Rockland County Family Court (2005 to 2010), acting justice of the Supreme Court, assigned to the Integrated Domestic Violence Court (2006 to 2010), village justice for the Village of Grandview (2003 to 2005), and an acting village justice of the Village of Upper Nyack (2003 to 2005).
Christopher received a B.A. in political science from the University of Colorado in 1976. She went on to complete a J.D. at the Antioch School of Law in 1980.
She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. Orrelle R. Weeks with the Denver Juvenile Court in Denver, Colorado. Then, after returning to New York, she served as a clerk and associate at the law office of Jerome Trachtenberg, Esq. from 1981 to 1986.
She then briefly served as a hearing examiner for the Rockland County Family Court before entering into solo practice at her own law firm. In addition to her solo practice, she also served as a village attorney for the Village of Nyack (1987 to 1994). In 1992, she became a partner at Christopher & Draine, practicing there until returning to her solo practice in 1996. She held this position until 2004. Her practice emphasized litigation and matrimonial law.
A frequent lecturer, Christopher has spoken on various topics including matrimonial law, liens, domestic violence issues, and child custody issues.
Her memberships have included the Rockland County Legal Aid Society (president), the Rockland County Bar Association (president), the Rockland County Women’s Bar Association (president), and the NAACP.
Christopher has also served as a board member of the Rockland County YMCA and Jawonio Inc.
She is a lifelong resident of Nyack, New York.