Judge E. Danielle Jose-Decker was appointed March 13, 2026, as administrative judge of the Third Judicial District.
Photo courtesy New York State Unified Court System
The judicial district that’s home to New York’s capital has a new leader on the bench.
Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas on Friday appointed Judge E. Danielle Jose-Decker as administrative judge of the Third Judicial District. She will oversee trial court operations in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster
Counties.
Describing Jose-Decker as an “ideal fit” for the role, Zayas highlighted the judge’s close knowledge of court operations and community needs across urban, suburban and rural areas.
“An energetic, innovative leader and advocate for equity and inclusion, her expertise, unwavering commitment to equal justice, and problem-solving approach will greatly benefit the Third Judicial District and Capital Region residents,” Zayas said in a statement.
Jose-Decker was elected in 2020 to become the first woman county court judge in Sullivan County, which encompasses the cities of Monticello and Roscoe. She has been supervising judge of the Third Judicial District since 2024, working across Albany and Sullivan Counties to oversee 118 town and village courts.
“I am humbled and grateful for the trust Chief Administrative Judge Zayas and the New York State Courts’ leadership team have placed in me,” Jose-Decker said in a statement Friday announcing her appointment.
Earlier in her career, after a stint at the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, Jose-Decker worked in private practice handling matrimonial, family, criminal, civil and real estate matters. She also served as municipal attorney for several upstate New York towns and villages.
The Albany Law School graduate also presides as a surrogate and acting Family Court Judge and as an acting Supreme Court justice. She co-chairs the Third Judicial District’s committee on gender fairness and sits on a New York State Bar Association committee on access to justice.
“This district — from the state capital to the most rural corners of our seven counties — is home to people who deserve courts that show up fully for all of them. I am ready to do that work for the Third Judicial District every single day,” Jose-Decker said.
Jose-Decker succeeds Justice Christina L. Ryba, a fellow Albany Law graduate who recently was elevated to the Appellate Division, Third Department.
