Justice Daniel W. Joy graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1952 and Brooklyn Law School in 1957. He was named Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Rent and Housing Maintenance by Mayor Beame in 1975. Joy worked for 25 years in public housing, where his work included holding public hearings for the discussion of possible rent increases for the city’s rent-controlled apartments and ensuring residential landlord compliance with minimum heat requirements in the colder months.
Joy was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 1983. In 1985, he was elected to the Supreme Court for the Eleventh Judicial District. In 1993, Governor Mario Cuomo designated Joy as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department. He became the first African-American elected in Queens to sit on the Appellate Division. Joy was also appointed to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct by Governor Pataki in 1998. He retired from the bench in 2000.
After his retirement, Joy was selected as a member of the Mayor’s Committee on City Marshals. He has maintained membership in several bar associations, served as Chairman of the Board of the Edwin Gould Foundation, and written and lectured extensively.
Sources
Appellate Division, Second Department, 100th Anniversary. 25. The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York, 1996. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. http://www.courts.state.ny.us/history/pdf/Library/Courts/App_Div_Sec_Dept_100th_Anniv.pdf.
“Landlords Reminded of City Heat Laws.” New York Times (1923-Current file): 472. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Oct 13 1974. Web. 6 Feb. 2012.
“Mayor’s Committee on City Marshals.” The City of New York, 2012. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. http://www.nyc.gov/html/mccm/html/about_committee/committee_members.shtml.
“Rent-Agency Chief Named.” New York Times (1923-Current file): 20. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007). Jan 09 1975. Web. 6 Feb. 2012.
“Tumult Mars First Hearing on Ceilings for Rent-Controlled Apartments.” New York Times (1923-Current file): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007). Sep 19 1979. Web. 6 Feb. 2012.
Williams, Geoff. “Diversity Matters: African-Americans at the University at Albany.” University at Albany – SUNY, 1 Feb. 2008. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. http://www.albany.edu/news/feature_1058.shtml.