Announcing Hon. Seth M. Marnin as our Second 2024 Community Vision Awardee

The LGBT Bar Association Foundation of New York is thrilled to present its second 2024 Community Vision Award to Hon. Seth M. Marnin, in recognition of his distinguished record of service to the LGBTQ+ community. He will be honored at our Annual Gala on May 9 at Tribeca Rooftop.

Judge Seth M. Marnin is a judge on the New York State Court of Claims. He began his legal career as a litigator at Outten & Golden LLP where he represented individuals and classes of employees in employment discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour cases in state and federal courts. Judge Marnin subsequently served as the Vice President for Civil Rights at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) where he oversaw ADL’s national domestic civil rights agenda. Prior to his nomination by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2023, Judge Marnin served in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University. Before his legal career, Judge Marnin worked in higher education in Student Affairs at the University at Albany, SUNY, and as the Director of LGBTQIA+ resources for the University of Connecticut system.  
 
Judge Marnin has spoken nationally and internationally on LGBTQ+ rights, hate crime laws, discrimination, civil rights, religious liberty, the First Amendment and academic freedom, and co-authored friend-of-the-court briefs in numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts around the country. Judge Marnin has published dozens of articles and op-eds on social and legal topics, particularly at the intersection LGBTQIA+ and Jewish identities. Since his historic appointment, he has been invited to speak at universities and law schools around the country. 
 
Judge Marnin has served in leadership roles within and outside the LGBTQ community. He has been an active leader on several boards, including the board of the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Center (now the Pride Center of the Capital Region), Congregation Ansche Chesed, where he led the personnel committee, and Keshet, where he served as the board chair for more than four years. Judge Marnin co-chaired the first-ever Transgender Jews are Here Convening, bringing together transgender Jews and allies from around the nation. A longtime member of the New York City Bar Association and National LGBT Bar Association, he was a member of the LGBT Rights committee of the New York City Bar and for several years co-led the conference planning committee of the Transgender Law Institute at the annual Lavender Law conference. He also served on the Legal Committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).  
 
As a lawyer, Judge Marnin volunteered as a cooperating attorney for the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, Lambda Legal’s Cooperating Attorney network, and was a volunteer for MFY Legal Services (now Mobilization for Justice). For several years, Judge Marnin was a hotline volunteer for Election Protection’s 866-Our-Vote. As an attorney and now as a judge, he mentors college and law school students and lawyers from around the country. 
 
He earned his BA in Women’s Studies and Sociology and his MA in Liberal Studies at the University at Albany, SUNY and his JD at the University of Connecticut School of Law. 
 
Judge Marnin is the first out transgender judge in the State of New York and the first transgender man on the bench anywhere in the United States. In November 2023, Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson appointed Judge Marnin to the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission.