By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Former Court of Appeals judge
Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick was named co-chair of a statewide task
force aimed at preventing wrongful convictions on Monday.
Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman appointed Ciparick to the
state's Justice Task Force, which he formed in 2009 to study the
causes of wrongful convictions.
The task force's other co-chair is Westchester District
Attorney Janet DiFiore.
"Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick is a tireless advocate for
justice, a trailblazer in the court system and Court of Appeals
who is widely regarded for her scholarly knowledge of the law,
keen insight and exceptional leadership," Lippman said in a
statement.
Ciparick, who left the high court in December after reaching
the mandatory retirement age of 70, will replace Court of
Appeals Judge Theodore Jones.
Jones died of a heart attack in November.
The task force in 2011 recommended the expansion of the
state's DNA database, which was signed into law last year, and
has called for legislation to reform eyewitness identification
procedures to ensure more accuracy.
Ciparick, the first Hispanic to serve on the Court of
Appeals, was appointed to the court in 1993. She currently is of
counsel to Greenberg Traurig.
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