Lawrence Knipel Retired

Lawrence Knipel, a Brooklyn Supreme Court justice who retired in November 2025 after 35 years on the bench, was reported to have distributed nearly 900 fiduciary court appointments between 2022 and 2024 to a group of 25 lawyers who had collectively donated roughly $25,000 to the political campaign committee of his wife, Lori Knipel — a longtime Brooklyn Democratic Party district leader. According to the reporting, one recipient alone, an attorney named Benjamin, received 301 court referee appointments from Knipel since 2010, far more than any other individual, with members of the Benjamin family and associates of a law firm connected to Brooklyn Democratic politics among those who donated to Lori Knipel's account.

Knipel denied any wrongdoing. Because the reporting emerged shortly before his already-planned retirement, any potential investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct would lose jurisdiction to reach a conclusive finding, according to the reporting — meaning no disciplinary body is expected to formally rule on the allegations.