ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) — Applications for New York’s Chief Judge are due March 10, 2023. This is round two for the position after Justice Hector LaSalle was ultimately rejected by a Senate floor vote. Those applications must be approved by the Judicial Nomination Commission, which is made up of 12 members. The Commission has 120 days from February 17, to submit a list of seven applicants to the Governor, who have been vetted and interviewed.
Vincent Bonventre, Professor at Albany Law School said the Commission has extended the deadline to receive applications which could suggest that they didn’t receive as many as they wanted, “Or, they didn’t receive applications from individuals they really were hoping to receive,” he explained. Bonventre said majority of the State Senate is unhappy with the direction the Court of Appeals is heading in terms of protecting the rights of the accused and the rights of workers. He said three justices who applied during the first round of applications were excluded from the list. “Number one, these judges probably would’ve been accepted by the Liberal Democratic Senators, number two, they were the ones who were regularly disagreeing with the majority of the Court of Appeals, which of the full Senate doesn’t like the direction that they’ve been taking the court,” he said.
Those judges are Jenny Rivera, Rowan Wilson and Shirley Troutman, who Bonventre thinks will re-apply. But for those who are have a history of agreeing with the more conservative majority, they’re now less likely to apply, especially considering what happened with LaSalle. “I think this time around, the Governor is gonna do a little bit of a better job and talking to the Senators before she actually makes a nomination, to make sure that the Senate will be on board,” said Bonventre. News 10 will keep you updated when Governor Hochul makes her nomination.
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