The City Council approved Mayor Joe Sack’s appointment of Robert S. Cypher Jr. as a part-time City Court Judge February 26.
The City Council approved Mayor Joe Sack’s appointment of Robert S. Cypher Jr. as a part-time City Court Judge February 26. He fills the opening created by the retirement of Richard Runes. Cypher joins Judge Joseph Latwin, whom he thanked for past guidance and support after being sworn in.
Cypher, who served on the City Council from 2002 to 2006, is a trial lawyer. He is a graduate of Fairfield University and Fordham Law School. After law school, he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served as an attorney in the office of the Judge Advocate General. Subsequently, after a stint in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, Cypher embarked on a civil litigation career, which has included positions at medical malpractice law and insurance defense law firms. His focus in medical malpractice law underscores his commitment to seeking justice for individuals who have suffered injuries caused by doctors.
“Bob has a background with the right mix of trial experience and community ties, which will serve him well in this role,” commented Mayor Sack.
At the meeting, Cypher noted a law professor’s admonition that the law was above all about human dignity, and he promised to apply “respect, courtesy, fairness, and compassion” in his new duties. Afterwards, he told the paper, “The reason I went to law school to begin with was that I wanted to do something to try and make my community a better place.”
His six-year term, paid for by the State, runs through January 2020.