Two new justices have been appointed to the Appellate Term of the Supreme Court, Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks announced Monday.

Justice Thomas Adams was designated as the presiding justice of those courts and Justice Elizabeth Emerson was chosen to serve as an associate justice.

Adams and Emerson were selected to fill the vacancies caused by the upcoming retirements of current Presiding Justice Anthony Marano and Justice James Brands. Their appointments, which were made with the approval of Presiding Justice Alan Scheinkman of the Appellate Division, Second Department, are set to take effect on Jan. 1.

Adams is currently the administrative judge for courts in Nassau County, where he's served since 2013. He was previously appointed to the Appellate Division, Second Department, and also served as a justice of the state Supreme Court. He got his start on the bench as a judge of the Nassau County District Court. He previously worked as an assistant district attorney in the Nassau County District Attorney's Office for seven years until 1980.

Emerson has been a state Supreme Court justice for more than two decades in Suffolk County, where she sits in the Commercial Division. She was the first justice of the county's commercial division when it was established in 2002. Before joining the bench, Emerson worked as a partner at Shearman & Sterling in Manhattan.

“These are richly deserved appointments, with both candidates possessing the collegiality, passion for the law and commitment to the pursuit of justice to succeed in their new roles,” Marks said in a statement.

The Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts have jurisdiction over appeals within Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties, excluding felony cases from the county court.