Judge Julio Rodriguez III Judge Julio Rodriguez III

Judge Julio Rodriguez III has been appointed administrative judge for criminal matters in New York's Twelfth Judicial District, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks announced Wednesday.

Rodriguez will oversee the operations of the criminal term of Bronx County Supreme Court, according to Marks' announcement. He replaces Judge Robert Torres, who has been appointed to the Appellate Term, First Department.

Rodriguez was elected to Bronx County Supreme Court in 2018 and served as a criminal court judge and an acting supreme court justice before that. He was deputy supervising judge in Bronx County Criminal Court from 2017 to 2018, according to a news release.

Before becoming a judge, Rodriguez worked in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and in several posts with the City of New York. He graduated from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

"Judge Rodriguez is an outstanding judge whose leadership abilities, sound judgment, work ethic and other strong qualities will be an asset to this important court," Marks said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him as we continue to advance the delivery and quality of justice in Bronx County."

Marks also praised Torres' work as administrative judge, saying that the the criminal term of Bronx County Supreme Court "made enormous strides in tackling backlogs and delays" during Torres' six years of leadership.

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