Orange County DA boosts staff with four new prosecutors

The Orange County District Attorney’s office has added four assistant district attorneys to strengthen courtroom staffing and accelerate case screening as local courts grapple with evolving criminal justice reforms. The hires, announced Jan. 12, bring a mix of long-term prosecutorial experience and new legal talent to county and local court operations.

Tara Waters and Nicole Garcia were assigned to the County Court Bureau, which handles felony prosecutions. Waters brings the longest record among the group, with prosecutorial work dating back to September 2008 in Bronx, Rockland and Ulster counties. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Touro Law School. Nicole Garcia, who earned a B.A. from Quinnipiac University and a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law, began at the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office in 2019 and rose to supervising assistant district attorney. Her background includes work on a Special Investigations/Narcotics Task Force, experience that the office says will support complex drug and organized crime casework.

Amy Huynh joins the Local Court Bureau, which covers arraignments, misdemeanors and preliminary proceedings. Huynh graduated with honors from John Jay College and holds a J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She brings prior experience from the Richmond and Bronx county district attorney offices, adding familiarity with urban court dockets and high-volume calendar management.

The fourth new hire, Molly Meyer, will join the Early Case Assessment Bureau responsible for initial review and screening of incoming matters. Meyer has a B.S. in criminal justice from the College of Saint Rose and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and is awaiting admission to the New York Bar; her work in early case assessment will focus on triage and disposition planning as soon as bar admission and office onboarding are complete.

District Attorney David M. Hoovler welcomed the additions and framed them as necessary to meet the dual demands of implementing criminal justice reforms and maintaining prosecutorial capacity. For Orange County residents, the immediate effect should be felt in case flow: bolstered staffing in the County Court can reduce backlog on felony calendars, stronger local court coverage helps keep arraignment and misdemeanor dockets moving, and enhanced early case assessment can lead to faster resolutions or clearer charging decisions.

The hires also bring outside perspectives from larger metropolitan offices, which may influence local approaches to narcotics investigations and case screening practices. If you have an open case or are tracking court calendars, expect modest shifts in scheduling and case management as the new attorneys settle in.

Our two cents? Keep an eye on your next court notices and check court calendars or contact your attorney for updates—new staff can speed things up, but transitions also mean temporary changes at the clerk’s window and on the calendar. More information on county court operations is available at orangecountygov.com.