Amici Podcast

In this episode of Amici: The Official Podcast of the New York State Unified Court System, we sit down with Mia Santiago, Project Director of the Problem Solving Courts in Brooklyn Criminal Court. With nearly three decades of experience in the helping field, Mia shares how Brooklyn’s treatment parts have evolved to better meet people’s needs and how crisis can be an opportunity for meaningful support. She is quick to note that none of this work happens in a vacuum. She credits the teamwork of dedicated colleagues, and the steadfast support of exceptional mentors and court leaders, including  Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson and NYC Criminal Court Administrative Judge Tamiko Amaker.   We discuss the origins of The Clothing Closet, an initiative providing free clothing, toiletry kits, and essential items to court participants and anyone in the building who needs them. Mia explains how this effort restores dignity, shifts courthouse culture, and bridges the gap between justice and community. She also describes the Closet’s partnership with m.a.e. Brooklyn, a local consignment shop whose donations help sustain this growing resource.   This episode highlights problem-solving justice in action and the profound impact of meeting people with compassion at critical moments. Transcript: ⁠webfiles.nycourts.gov/public/2026-11…ll-episode.pdf⁠ Website: ⁠www.nycourts.gov/amici-podcast-series⁠

In this special edition of “Amici: News and Insights from the New York Courts,” Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson turns the microphone toward someone who has spent decades shining a light on others: longtime “Amici” host and UCS veteran John Caher. As John embarked upon retirement last Spring, he reflected on his extraordinary career spanning 30 years in journalism and another decade in the Unified Court System, where he was charged with bringing bold ideas to life — from getting the Court System’s social media presence off the ground to producing an award winning documentary, and co founding the impactful U CAN mentoring program. Here, in a 42-minute interview, Chief Judge Wilson guides a warm, enlightening conversation that spans John’s Buffalo childhood, his path into journalism, the mentors and judges who shaped him, and the curiosity that has driven his life’s work. They revisit the origins of the podcast, the many people whose stories John has brought to light, and the deep commitment to justice, storytelling, and humanity that threads throughout his career. It’s an insightful, moving tribute to a colleague whose creativity and compassion have helped strengthen our Courts and enrich our understanding of one another. Transcript: https://webfiles.nycourts.gov/public/2026-07/rdw-and-john-caher-final_0.pdf

In this episode of Amici: News and Insights from the New York Courts, we meet an inspiring pair of women who made NYS Court System history: Court Officers Rebecca and Jolyn Dingman, the first mother–daughter duo to graduate side by side from the New York State Court Officers Academy. A generation apart but united by service, pride, and deep family bonds, Rebecca and Jolyn completed their training at the upstate academy in June 2025 and have been proudly serving in Oneida County ever since. They join us to share the story of their unique path to the academy, the challenges they faced along the way, and how they relied on strength, resilience, and empathy to reach this extraordinary milestone. Transcript: https://webfiles.nycourts.gov/public/2026-06/amici-mom-and-daughter-court-officers-rebecca-and-jolyn-dingman.pdf

In this special Black History Month edition of Amici: News and Insights from the New York Courts, we shine a light on one of the most extraordinary and often overlooked stories in American legal history. It begins in Ulster County, New York, where a newly freed Black woman discovers that her young son has been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama. Determined to bring her son home and seek justice for herself and her family, she turns to the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston, NY. Her name was Isabella, the woman the world would come to know as Sojourner Truth. Thanks to the kindness of those she encountered in the courthouse and the bravery of the grand jury she stood in front of, Sojourner Truth became the first Black woman in the United States to successfully sue a white man and win. To help us explore this remarkable chapter of Sojourner Truth’s life, we’re joined by historian and Ulster County Commissioner of Jurors Paul O’Neill. Paul has made it part of his mission to share Sojourner Truth’s story with today’s jurors as a reminder “That each of us plays a role, and each of us can make a difference.” Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2026-02/Paul-O-Neill-Sojourner-Truth.pdf

In the latest Diversity Dialogue podcast, Mindy Jeng, Executive Director of Pro Bono Services and Special Counsel to Justin Barry, Executive Director of the Court System, discusses her family’s roots in China and Taiwan and the importance of diversity in the Court System. “… It's when we get to know different people with different backgrounds and experiences that we will have a better understanding of the world and our work, and I think it really enriches all of our lives,” Mindy said. The Diversity Dialogues segment of the Court System’s Amici podcast program is produced in conjunction with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2026-01/mindy%201.7.26%20MJ%20%28002%29_0.pdf

The latest Amici podcast tells the unlikely and inspiring story of a 16-year-old girl who was suddenly rendered quadriplegic yet, without the use of arms or legs, grew up to be a Family Court Judge in Erie County— the Hon. Shannon Filbert. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2026-01/filbert%20Transcript.pdf Content Warning: Frank medical discussion

Justice Llinét Rosado of the Appellate Division, First Department, is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who became a U.S. citizen in her early 20s. Justice Lourdes Ventura was born to Dominican immigrants. In this Amici podcast, the justices discuss their journey from very humble roots to the upper echelon of the NYS Judiciary. They explain their culture and experiences as part of the Dominican diaspora. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-11/Exploring%20Dominican%20Heritage%20with%20Justices%20Rosado%20and%20Ventura.pdf

In this Diversity Dialogue segment of the Amici podcast program, we explore Indian boarding schools, institutions established in the U.S. and Canada with the expressed goal of eradicating indigenous culture. Our guest is Marnee Ryan Lehtonen, of Corning City Court. Marnee’s grandmother grew up in the notorious Thomas Indian School and, with some prodding by Marnee, shared her experience. Here, Marnee shares what she learned from her grandmother. Diversity Dialogue is a production of the NYS Unified Court System’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-09/Marnee.pdf #indianboardingschools #orangeshirtday

Shortly after Peter F. Lane took office as a New York City Civil Court judge in January, he was surprised to get a call from the Estonian Embassy. He assumed it was a wrong number. Regardless, he picked it up and learned that he's apparently the first and only judge in the nation of Estonian descent. In this podcast, we'll explore Judge Lane's background and learn a little about a country in Northern Europe that some of us may have heard of, but most of us could never pinpoint on a map. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-08/Judge%20Peter%20Lane.pdf

The lack of accessible legal services in rural areas is a national crisis, and New York State — where four million people live in rural areas – is certainly no exception. Presiding Justice Elizabeth A. Garry of the Appellate Division, Third Department, is attempting to address the crisis through a novel “Rural Pathways” initiative that places law students in remote areas where they can experience the camaraderie of the local legal community and appreciate the innumerable benefits of life and practice outside the bigger cities. In this Amici podcast, Justice Garry, who grew up on a dairy farm and spent most of her legal and judicial career in one of the more remote regions of the state, speaks of the need for legal services in rural areas and the recently completed and highly successful pilot program she embraced: Rural Pathways. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-08/Rural%20Pathways.pdf