In June 2023, David Fried was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul as Judge of the New York State Court of Claims & Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, a nomination which was confirmed by the New York State Senate with bi-partisan support. He is the first Rockland County resident to be appointed to the Court of Claims in a half-century.
A graduate of the Cardozo School of Law in New York City, Judge Fried presently presides in the Supreme Court venued in Rockland County. Prior to his appointment by the Governor, Judge Fried served as a Justice Court Judge in the Town of Ramapo and Village of Spring Valley. At the Justice Court level, Judge Fried presided over the Rockland County Misdemeanor Drug Court and the Specialized Domestic Violence Part. He first joined the judiciary in 2009. He has worked for President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey. David is a former County Legislator who was elevated to the rank of Deputy Majority Leader of the Legislature and was the 2013 Democratic Party nominee for County Executive of Rockland County.
In 2024, Judge Fried was appointed by Chief Judge Rowan Wilson to serve as a member of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board, which supervises the education requirements for all New York State attorneys and enhances the Bar’s proud tradition of professionalism in the practice of law. Judge Fried attended Manhattanville College where he was graduated with the rank of Magna Cum Laude, earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology.
As an attorney, David maintained a private law practice in New City, New York which served a diverse family of clients in criminal defense, Surrogate Court representation, matrimonial and family law, and a wide-range of plaintiff and defense civil litigation. He has utilized his law degree to teach at local colleges and in the police academy. Judge Fried is the President of the New York State LGBTQ+ Judges Association and also serves on the Board of the Association of Court of Claims Judges. He served as a Board Member of the Rockland County Pride Center and the Onyx & Breezy Foundation for the Welfare of Animals. Judge Fried serves on the Executive Committee of the Justice Brandeis Law Society for the Ninth Judicial District and co-chairs the LGBTQ+ Access to Justice Sub-Committee of the Ninth Judicial District.