Alumna Makes History with Court of Claims Appointment

Two Albany Law School alumni have been appointed to the New York State Court of Claims by Governor Kathy Hochul.

The New York State Court of Claims is a statewide court with exclusive jurisdiction for civil litigation seeking damages against the state.
Zainab Chaudhry ’98 is the first Muslim nominee for a gubernatorial appointed position in New York State.

Chaudhry is currently the Principal Court Attorney in the New York State Court of Appeals, a position she has held since 2019. Prior to her work in the Court of Appeals, she was the Assistant Solicitor General for the Office of the New York State Attorney General, Appeals & Opinions Bureau. Chaudhry is a first generation American, her parents are from Pakistan. She is a member of the South Asian Bar Association of New York.

She was class valedictorian at Albany Law School, an Associate Editor on the Albany Law Review, participated in several moot court programs, and was co-founder of the law school’s Muslim Law Students’ Association.

Anthony Brindisi ’04, a longtime lawmaker in Albany and Washington D.C., was also appointed.

Brindisi served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019-2021 and was on the Committee on Agriculture, Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Armed Services Committee. Prior to Congress, he was a member of the New York State Assembly from 2011-2018. He joined the Utica firm Brindisi, Murad, Brindisi and Pearlman, LLP, founded by his father, Louis Brindisi '59, after graduating from Albany Law and has since returned after his time in government.

Judges on the Court of Claims represent State-related entities such as the New York State Thruway Authority, the City University of New York, the Olympic Regional Development Authority, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation and the New York State Power Authority. The Court of Claims has no jurisdiction over any city, county or town government, or over any individual defendant.

"I am confident that each of these exceptional appointments will serve our state with honor and distinction," Hochul said in a statement. "The diversity of perspective and long tenure of expertise each appointee will bring with them to the bench should leave no doubt in the mind of every New Yorker that they have an expert, fair, and impartial voice in our state's judiciary."