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.
