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7th Municipal Court District Committee of the Manhattan Democrats Nominates Onya Brinson for Civil Court

On Saturday, July 19, 2025, Members of the New York County Democratic Committee representing the 7th Municipal Court District met at 551 Fort Washington Avenue to nominate a candidate to run in the upcoming November 4th General Election for the vacant Civil Court seat in the district created by the State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul. The district covers West Harlem (including Morningside Heights), Washington Heights, Inwood, and portions of Central Harlem.

The 7th Municipal Court District Committee of the New York County Democratic Party voted 59% to 41% to nominate Onya Brinson to run on the Democratic line in the November ballot. Ms. Brinson is the Principal Court Attorney for the Hon. Lisa A. Sokoloff of the New York Supreme Court, New York County. She previously served as Assistant General Counsel to DC37, New York City’s largest union. Ms. Brinson is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York County Lawyers Association. Ms. Brinson received a B.A. from Spelman College and a J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law. On July 10th, the New York County Democratic Party’s 2025 Civil Court Independent Screening Panel found Onya Brinson most highly qualified to be a Judge of the Civil Court.

The Manhattan Democratic Party is grateful to Criminal Court Judge Keshia Espinal for her candidacy for the nomination. Additionally, the Manhattan Democratic Party expresses its thanks to the over 150 County Committee Members who turned out to choose our Party’s nominee. A special thanks to District Leaders Mariama James, Paula Diamond Roman, Curtis Arluck, William Allen, Luis Ordonez, Maria Ordonez, Earnestine Bell-Temple, Maria Luna, Robert Jackson, Mariel De La Cruz, and Manny De Los Santos, who were present and assisted with the meeting, as well as the Manhattan Democratic Party’s 3rd Vice Chair Johanna Garcia. The Manhattan Democratic Party also expresses its gratitude to all of the bar associations and nonprofits who designated panelists to serve on this year’s Independent Screening Panel.

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3rd Municipal Court District Committee of the Manhattan Democrats Nominates Eric Wursthorn for Civil Court

On Monday, July 14, 2025, Members of the New York County Democratic Committee representing the 3rd Municipal Court District met at 459 W 26th Street to nominate a candidate to run in the upcoming November 4th General Election for the vacant Civil Court seat in the district created by the State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul. The district covers Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and portions of the Upper West Side and the West Village.

The 3rd Municipal Court District Committee of the New York County Democratic Party voted unanimously to nominate Eric J. Wursthorn to run on the Democratic line on the November ballot. Mr. Wursthorn is a Court Attorney and Referee in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, having previously served as Principal Court Attorney for the Hon. Justice Lynn Kotler of the New York Supreme Court, New York County, Civil Term. Mr. Wursthorn is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar’s LGBTQ+ Law Section, a member of the LGBT Bar Association of New York and is Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s International Human Rights Committee. Mr. Wursthorn received a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from New York Law School. On July 10th, the New York County Democratic Party’s 2025 Civil Court Independent Screening Panel found Eric J. Wursthorn most highly qualified to be a Judge of the Civil Court.

The Manhattan Democratic Party is grateful to the over 75 County Committee Members who turned out in the pouring rain to choose our Party’s nominee. A special thanks to District Leaders Mariama James, Jen Hoppe, Layla-Law Gisiko, David Warren, Paul Devlin, Yvette Powell, Rob Gottheim, John Wahlmeier, and Pat Still, who were present and assisted with the meeting. The Manhattan Democratic Party also expresses its gratitude to all of the bar associations and nonprofits who designated panelists to serve on this year’s Independent Screening Panel.

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Manhattan Democrats Press Release on Results of August 5, 2021 Judicial Convention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 6, 2021

Last night the New York County Democrats gathered to nominate two fantastic jurists, Judge Margaret Chan and Judge John “J.J.” Kelley, for the New York State Supreme Court for the First Judicial District. Opened by County Leader Keith L.T. Wright, chaired by New York County Democratic Committee Chair Domenico Minerva, and organized by Executive Director Kyle Ishmael, Law Chair Darren Marks, and District Leader Arthur Schwartz, the Convention required significant logistics to verify attendees’ vaccination status and stagger check-in to minimize the amount of time necessary for the over 180 Delegates and Alternate Delegates to spend indoors. We would also like to thank our host, the School of Visual Arts Theater, for accommodating these logistical needs.

The Convention nominated Acting Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chan for the first vacancy. Judge Chan has both been reported out of the New York County Democratic Party’s Independent Judicial Screening Panel twice as highly qualified and been found highly qualified by the Independent Judicial Commission. Having been on the bench for 14 years, Judge Chan has extensive experience over her 9 years as an Acting Supreme Court Justice overseeing complex cases and trials, and is well-known for her important, well-reasoned, and clear written decisions in important cases that have been repeatedly upheld by the Appellate Division. As an immigrant from Hong Kong who has made New York her home for nearly 50 years and who began her career as an immigration attorney working with Ben Gim, the first Asian American attorney to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Chan is an exemplar of the commitment to merit, character, and diversity that Manhattan Democrats look for in their New York State Supreme Court Justices.

For the second vacancy, the Convention nominated Acting Supreme Court Justice JJ Kelley. Reported out twice by the New York Democratic Party’s Independent Judicial Screening Panel as highly qualified, Judge Kelley has served as a jurist for 17 years, serving as an Acting Supreme Court Justice since 2018. As an Acting Supreme Court Justice, he presided over 58 complex jury trials before COVID and has completed 5 jury trials since COVID began and made such trials even more complex. A former volunteer firefighter and ambulance driver, his calm, capable, but affable court demeanor continue to support New York County’s reputation for the electing the most meritorious and civic-minded jurists to handle the legal disputes that New Yorkers find themselves bringing before our courts.

While we are thrilled to put forth such highly-qualified and meritorious nominees, we were disappointed and dismayed that the New York State Legislature has not allowed for virtual meetings since it repealed the Governor’s emergency powers and the Governor declared an end to the pandemic emergency on June 24th. With COVID cases once again on the rise due to the Delta variant, bodies such as the New York County Democratic Committee’s Judicial Convention need the option to conduct business remotely to reduce the risk of large gatherings to the health of the public and to our members, especially those who are immunocompromised or have pre-existing conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID infection. We call on the Legislature and Governor to temporarily amend the Open Meetings Law or allow for an executive order doing the same so that organizations across the state can conduct business virtually once again as infections rise and the risk to New Yorkers’ increases.

The New York County Democratic Committee is the official home for Manhattan Democrats. The livestream of the Convention can be found on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/262700364088/videos/781088335893140

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