NY Bar #: 1721703 (01/21/1981)
Appointed By: Mayor Bill de Blasio
The Hon. Miriam Cyrulnik (Ret.) was a judge for the Criminal Court of the City of New York in Kings County. Cyrulnik was appointed to the Criminal Court bench by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004 and reappointed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2016. She retired on September 17, 2025.
While on the Criminal Court, Cyrulnik held an assignment as an acting justice in the Criminal Term of the Kings County Supreme Court in the 2nd Judicial District of New York (2011 to 2025). In 2019, she was designated a trial judge for Mental Hygiene Law Article 10 matters involving civil commitment of sex offenders, and in 2021, she began hearing Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 guardianship matters. Cyrulnik also presided over the Brooklyn Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court and the Adult Domestic Violence Court.
Prior to her appointment, she began her judicial career as an interim judge for the Civil Court of the City of New York, a position to which Mayor Bloomberg appointed her in 2003.
She received a B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1977. Cyrulnik then completed a J.D. at Brooklyn Law School in 1980. She was admitted to practice in New York (1981).
After graduating from law school, Cyrulnik began her legal career as an associate at the Office of Ross M. Branca before joining the New York State Unified Court System in 1982. She started as a law clerk to Hon. Michael L. Pesce with the Civil Court of the City of New York in Kings County, where she remained until 2003.
During that time, Cyrulnik supplemented her clerkship with service as an arbitrator in Kings County Small Claims Court (1991 to 1994) and as a special referee in matrimonial actions with the Office of Court Administration (1997 to 2003).
She is a past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Nathan R. Sobel Inn of Court, and the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. Cyrulnik was also the founding president of the Brooklyn Brandeis Society and the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project.
Her other memberships have included the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, the Judiciary Advisory Council, the Association of Criminal Court Judges of the City of New York, the Kings County Bar Association, and the New York Bar Foundation.
She has served as a faculty member of the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.
Cyrulnik was born and raised in Canarsie, New York.
| Current Appointment Criminal Court of the City of New York (Kings County) | Criminal Court of the City of New York (Kings County) |
| Previous Appointment Kings County Supreme Court | Kings County Supreme Court |
|
Education
J.D., Brooklyn Law School - 1980 B.A., Brooklyn College - 1977 |
J.D., Brooklyn Law School - 1980 B.A., Brooklyn College - 1977 |
| Current Court: | NY - Criminal Court of the City of New York (Kings County) |
|---|---|
| Previous Court: | NY - Kings County Supreme Court |
| Role | Employer | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Associate | Office of Ross M. Branca | Kings County, New York |
| Judicial Law Clerk | Civil Court of the City of New York with Hon. Michael L. Pesce | Kings County, New York |
| Arbitrator | Kings County Small Claims Court | Kings County, New York |
| Matrimonial Special Referee | New York State Unified Court System, Office of Court Administration | New York County, New York |
| Interim Judge | Civil Court of the City of New York | None |
| Judge | Criminal Court of the City of New York | Kings County, New York |
| Acting Justice | Kings County Supreme Court | Kings County, New York |
New York State Unified Court System: Hon. Miriam Cyrulnik
Martindale: Judge Profile: Miriam Cyrulnik
Ballotpedia: Miriam Cyrulnik
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Justice Miriam Cyrulnik Takes Helm of Kings Inn of Court with Tribute to Late Hon. Arthur Schack
Center for Court Innovation: Podcast: Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court: Working with Teen Victims and Abusers
Daily News: Brooklyn Man in Prison for 1991 Double Murder Granted Opportunity to Prove Innocence
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Courthouse Leadership Pays Homage to Judge Miriam Cyrulnik at Recent Retirement Tribute
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