Behind the Bench: Justice Buggs aims for excellence
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Supreme Court Justice Cheree Buggs works toward the patient's best interest in the Mental Hygiene Part. Photo courtesy of Buggs
By Rachel Vick
Supreme Court Justice Cheree Buggs was first elected to the bench in 2008, but her commitment to excellence started well before she entered Temple Law School at 20 years old.
Buggs said her current position presiding over the mental hygiene part is a “natural fit” after litigating in the part during her time as a lawyer and an administrative judge for three different city agencies, including the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene.
“I didn't know that I would wind up doing this,” Buggs said. “That's just how fate worked for me and all that’s very exciting.”
“I thoroughly enjoy it because I feel that mental health is very serious and I'm always doing the best for the patient and society as whole — with the patient’s interest being paramount,” Buggs said.
She first became interested in law after excelling in liberal arts while attending New York University — after starting Benjamin Cardozo High School at 12 — and the feminist ideals that pushed her to enter a male-dominated career.
Buggs said that the challenges that come with the job are easily managed with the help of her top notch staff, but ensuring her “phenomenal” 8-year-old daughter is happy and well-cared for as a working single mother is another level of pressure.
She oversaw one of the last jury trials before the pandemic shutdown, which included the first juror to test positive for COVID-19, and had to adjust to a schedule with virtual court, her daughter’s remote learning and court responsibilities.
Balance, Buggs explained, is key both in the professional and personal aspects of life.
“I have a marvelous staff and they make things easy, the tough thing is when I go home,” she said. “For me the most important thing is to stay focused on what my job is, what I’m charged with and what I'm doing.”
“People care that excellence is my aim,” she added.
Buggs thought she would enter the work with a different view after her experience on the opposite side of the bench, but when it’s time to issue a decision, even when coming in with compassion, what matters are the legal statutes.
She said working to balance the law with the best interest of the patient and the public — weighing whether they are a risk to themselves or others — brings new gravity and satisfaction to the work.
“We might not want to be in certain roles or positions we wind up being in, [but must] focus on the task at hand and that's to make a fully informed decision, [though] to come to a decision might be an easy decision,” Buggs added. “I'm into every moment.”
