It's been an unsettling 2022-23 term at the New York Court of Appeals. First, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore abruptly resigned right before the arguments began in September 2022, following an ethics investigation into whether she interfered in the disciplinary proceedings of one of her biggest detractors. Then, after the Commission on Judicial Nomination produced a …
The NY Senate Judiciary Committee Refuses to Advance the Nomination of Presiding Justice LaSalle for a Floor Vote. What Now?
These are truly uncharted waters. After a 4 hour and 45 minute hearing of unwithering questioning before the NY Senate Judiciary Committee, where Presiding Justice Hector LaSalle reaffirmed his commitment to reproductive and union rights and ensuring all litigants, including criminal defendants, get a fair shot before the courts, the Judiciary Committee took the unprecedented …
Governor Hochul Nominates Presiding Justice Hector LaSalle to be New York’s First Latino Chief Judge!
In an announcement today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Second Department Presiding Justice Hector LaSalle to be New York's next Chief Judge. Governor Hochul lauded LaSalle in her nomination statement, noting that “New York’s Court of Appeals has a long history as a beacon of justice, and Judge LaSalle is an outstanding jurist in …
Who Should New York Hail as the Next Chief Judge of the State?
It's not every day that New York gets to pick a new Chief Judge of the State to lead the court system in new directions and head the State's top court. In fact, since the Commission on Judicial Nomination was created in 1977, it has had the chance to send the Governor only six lists …
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Chief Judge Janet DiFiore Announces Her Resignation from the New York Court of Appeals
In a surprising announcement, New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore revealed that she would resign from her middle seat on the Court of Appeals bench three years before she would have been forced into mandatory retirement. When the Chief Judge steps out of Court of Appeals Hall on August 31, 2022, her resignation will be …
The Commission on Judicial Nomination’s List of Candidates to Replace Judge Eugene Fahey on the New York Court of Appeals is Exciting!
With December 31st fast approaching, and Associate Judge Eugene Fahey's time on the Court of Appeals waning now that he turned 70 years old last month, the Commission on Judicial Nomination released its list of seven candidates to potentially take Judge Fahey's seat next year. With Judge Fahey being the last Judge on the Court …
If New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Resigns…
What happens to the New York Court of Appeals? With the explosive, though likely not shocking, findings of the New York Attorney General's report on the allegations that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women who worked for him, Governor Cuomo faces two choices: (1) resign from office or (2) stay and fight the looming …
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Governor Andrew Cuomo Nominates Madeline Singas and Hon. Anthony Cannataro to the Court of Appeals
In a surprising announcement Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo made two picks to fill the open seats on the New York Court of Appeals. It wasn't surprising that the Governor made the two picks together (I called that one when the Commission on Judicial Nomination released the list of candidates to replace the late Judge Paul …
Commission on Judicial Nomination Releases the List to Fill Associate Judge Paul Feinman’s Seat on the Court of Appeals
Only two weeks ago, the Commission on Judicial Nomination released the list of candidates to replace Associate Judge Leslie Stein on the Court of Appeals bench when she retires on June 4, 2021. But the Commission's work wasn't done. They also have to find a replacement for late Associate Judge Paul Feinman, who retired from …
Commission on Judicial Nomination Selects 7 Women Candidates for Court of Appeals Vacancy for the First Time in NY History
This post first appeared as a guest post on Twenty Eagle, a blog like mine devoted to covering the New York Court of Appeals. Check it out here! For watchers of the New York Court of Appeals, this is the Super Bowl. This year is the first in almost 30 years that the Court of …