The New York County Democratic Committee is pleased to announce the formation of an Independent Screening Panel to report on candidates for nomination by the Democratic Party for five vacancies on the New York State Supreme Court vacancies, 1st Judicial District (New York County), which will be filled in the November 8, 2017 general election. The panel has received an unprecedented 32 designees from participating bar associations, law schools, and community groups, demonstrating the extensive outreach on behalf the Manhattan Democratic Party to the legal community and the vitality of the civil society surrounding the judiciary here in Manhattan. The panelists will review applicants to the Supreme Court and report out those candidates they deem to be most qualified for election to the Supreme Court. The designees and their designating organizations are as follows:

Silvia Babikian, Armenian Bar Association
Leona Beane , New York Women’s Bar Association
Cara Berkowitz,  Jewish Board of Family & Childrens’ Services
Tanya N. Blocker,  Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Kieran Conlon, Brehon Law Society
Harley Diamond,  Lesbian & Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Service Center
Erika Donovan Estades,  Latino Leadership Institute
Gerald Eber, Fortune Society
Jeremy Feigenbaum,  Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Elizabeth Fischer,  Neighborhood Defenders Service of Harlem
Qian Gao, Asian Bar Association of New York
Megan Goddard,  National Employment Lawyers Association/NY
Janice Grubin,The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (Le-Gal)
Evan Hasbrook, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys
Amin Kassam,  Muslim Bar Association of New York City
James Lee,  Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
John Low-Beer,  City Club
Elizabeth Lynch,  MFY Legal Services
Steve Madra, Asian Americans for Equality
Nelson Mar,  Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Deborah Martin Owens,Women’s City Club
Scott Occhiogrosso, New York State Trial Lawyers Association
William Pagan, Puerto Rican Bar Association
Carlos Perez-Hall,  New York City Bar Association
Vianny M. Pichardo,  Dominican Bar Association
Ann Schneider,  National Lawyers Guild
Meryl Schwartz,  Women’s Trial Lawyers Caucus
Iris Springer-Elkerson,  Association of Black Women Attorneys
Andrew Targum,  Jewish Lawyers’ Guild
Shanelle Washington,  Mid Manhattan Branch of the NAACP
Kenneth Willis,  New York Urban League
Melissa Ysaguirre,  Legal Services Staff Association

In April 0f this year, Independent Judicial Civil Court Screening Panels were convened to screen candidates for the endorsement of the Democratic Party for two (2) New York County-wide Civil Court vacancies, (1) one vacancy in the 5th Civil Court District, and (1) vacancy in the 9th Civil Court Districts, to be filled in the November 8, 2017 General Election after the September 12, 2017 Primary Election. The following individuals were designated to County-wide panel:

1. Barrie, Susan – National Lawyers Guild
2. Binns, Christopher – Chair (MBBA)
3. Bloom, Jeffrey – Chair (New York State Trial Lawyers Association)
4. Cittadino, Joshua – Colombian Lawyers Association
5. Cole, Cassye – Chair (Association of Black Women Attorneys)
6. Delince, Patrick J. (NELA – NY)
7. Espinosa, Jeanette- Chair (PRBA)
8. Fitzgerald, Christopher – (Brehon Law Society)
9. Grippo, Jonathan – Jewish Community Relations Council
10. Hill, Julian (NAACP- Mid Manhattan)
11. Hoffman, David (Jewish Lawyers Guild)
12. Jacobs, Fran – (NYC Bar Association)
13. Jentsch. Bernadette – Chair (MFY Legal Services)
14. Kolod, Alexandra – (Le-Gal)
15. Malik, Merium – Chair (Muslim Bar Association of NYC)
16. Mateo, Ray – (Hispanic Bar Association)
17. Min, Richard – Asian Americans for Equality
18. Ogulluk, Sevan – American Bar Association
19. Paramio, Omar Almanzar – Chair (Dominican Bar Association)
20. Park, E. Grace – Chair (Korean American Lawyers)
21. Polner, Kira – New York Law School
22. Sundt, Jennifer (New York Women’s Bar)
23. Varghese, Vinoo – (Asian American Bar)
24. Wu, Jason – Chair (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys)

On May 2, 2017, the Independent Judicial Screening Panel for Civil Court reported the following candidates as most highly qualified for two (2) county-wide Civil Court vacancies and a single vacancies in the 5th and 9th Civil Court District:

1. Suzanne Adams
2. Lawrence Bosley
3. Ariel Chesler
4. Hilary Gingold
5. Elyssa Kates
6. Phaedra Perry
7. Leslie stroth
8. Richard Tsai
9. Kathleen Waterman

Thank you to the panel and its administrator for their diligent work.

Sincerely,
Curtis Arluck and Louise Dankberg
Co-Chairs, Judiciary Committee

Whenever there are vacancies to be filled by election on the Civil or Supreme Court, the Manhattan Democratic Party convenes a screening panel to help select who will run as the Democratic nominee. Instead of having a purely political process, the Manhattan Democratic Party uses a unique Independent Judicial Screening Panel that reviews candidates based on application.

The panelists are selected by organizations which are invited to participate by the Manhattan Democratic Party Judicial Sub-Committee. While the Party selects the organizations, they have no direct say over who becomes a panelist nor in how the panelists vote. Twice each year at least 40 organizations are invited to participate and on average at least 20 representatives are empaneled.

For each empty seat on the court, the panel recommends between two and three candidates from all the available applicants. In the case of a Civil Court vacancy, the District Leaders, elected by Democratic voters in the Primary, vote to endorse one candidate who will gain support throughout entire the borough. In the case of the Supreme Court vacancy, the Judicial Delegates, also elected by Democratic voters in the Primary, then vote for the Democratic nominee from among the qualified candidates at a judicial convention.

The organizations which sent panelists for 2017 are:

1. Barrie, Susan – National Lawyers Guild
2. Binns, Christopher – Chair (MBBA)
3. Bloom, Jeffrey – Chair (New York State Trial Lawyers Association)
4. Cittadino, Joshua – Colombian Lawyers Association
5. Cole, Cassye – Chair (Association of Black Women Attorneys)
6. Delince, Patrick J. (NELA – NY)
7. Espinosa, Jeanette- Chair (PRBA)
8. Fitzgerald, Christopher – (Brehon Law Society)
9. Grippo, Jonathan – Jewish Community Relations Council
10. Hill, Julian (NAACP- Mid Manhattan)
11. Hoffman, David (Jewish Lawyers Guild)
12. Jacobs, Fran – (NYC Bar Association)
13. Jentsch. Bernadette – Chair (MFY Legal Services)
14. Kolod, Alexandra – (Le-Gal)
15. Malik, Merium – Chair (Muslim Bar Association of NYC)
16. Mateo, Ray – (Hispanic Bar Association)
17. Min, Richard – Asian Americans for Equality
18. Ogulluk, Sevan – American Bar Association
19. Paramio, Omar Almanzar – Chair (Dominican Bar Association)
20. Park, E. Grace – Chair (Korean American Lawyers)
21. Polner, Kira – New York Law School
22. Sundt, Jennifer (New York Women’s Bar)
23. Varghese, Vinoo – (Asian American Bar)
24. Wu, Jason – Chair (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys)