Understanding Judicial Candidates
Democratic Party Candidates for NYS Supreme Court are first vetted
for their qualifications and temperament by a Panel of
representatives of various Bar Associations and other Civic
Organizations. They nominate up to 3 candidates for each open seat.
Candidates then work to gain support from Elected Delegates to a
Judicial Selection Convention. Delegates are elected from each
Assembly District, according to the number of active voters in each
District.
The Judicial Candidates selected at the Judicial Convention, appear
on the November Democratic Party Line.
In heavily Democratic Manhattan, other Parties may choose not to
run Candidates. This helps explain why you may typically see only
Democrats on the Ballot for the same number of elected judicial
positions.
Concerned voters can do their individual homework by searching the
Candidates on-line, attending Candidate forums where they can
evaluate the Candidates, expressing their opinion to the Judicial
Delegates and even attending the August Judicial Convention.
Judicial Selection Process for NYS Supreme Court
(Manhattan Only)
(The New York State Supreme Court is New York State’s general
trial-level court, not the highest court. In New York, that is the Court of
Appeals.
So… Have you ever been frustrated when you go to vote, and on your ballot,
where you get to vote for Judges, you see the same number of candidates as
the number you are asked to pick? And they are all on the Democratic Party
line? And you don’t know who any of them are? What I am trying to do
here is to explain how the process works, and why, while it is not a perfect
system, it may not be as imperfect as it seems on the surface.
PART 1 – You want to become a Judge – how do you start?
State Supreme Court Justices (not judges) are elected. They appear on
the General Election Ballot. To run on the Democratic ballot line in
Manhattan, you approach the Manhattan County Dem Party early in the
year. The Party has its own internal process for selecting potential
candidates.
They will ask “Are you a NYS resident and licensed attorney in NY
for at least 10 years?”
If the answer is YES, then, “Come meet with our Independent Screening
Panel.“ (This panel is made up of members of various Bar Associations and
civic groups. It is important to note that panel members may only serve
once every three years.). The panel confirms professional qualifications and
temperament and reports out up to three “Highly Qualified” candidates
for each available Supreme Court position. In addition to these candidates,
any candidate who has been reported out of the Panel two consecutive years
are also eligible as a candidate for four years without having to re-submit to
the Panel.
This means is that we end up with a substantial number of candidates from
several years of applicants, and for each year we have a different panel of
experts who vet that year’s potential candidates. So, we have many
candidates chosen by many different experts.
At this point the Judicial Candidates are on Hold, awaiting the Delegate
Election.
PART 2 – Judicial Delegates (and Alternates) and the JUDICIAL
CONVENTION
Now consider the Judicial Delegates and Alternate Delegates. These
Registered Democrats run for this Party Position in the June Primary. Each
Assembly District in Manhattan an election for a number of Delegate and
Alternate positions based on the number of active voters in that District. In
2025 there were 155 Delegates and 142 Alternates from 12 different
Assembly Districts. These Delegates attend the Manhattan County
Judicial Convention in August and select the candidates who will appear
on the November General Election Ballot on the Democratic Party line.
Candidates for Delegate or Alternate, are generally nominated by different
Democratic Clubs or occasionally run as independent candidates. These
unpaid Party positions are elected on the Primary Ballot. Depending on the
Assembly District, candidates may run unopposed or, in Districts with more
than one Club, there may be a competitive race. I have been an Alternate
several times since 2018 and been both opposed and unopposed. In at least
one year, I actually cast a vote, both an honor and a thrill.
PART 3 – After the Primary and before the Convention
Between the Primary and the Convention, the Judicial Candidates work to
gain the support of the Judicial Convention Delegates. They do this in
several ways. Most of the Judicial Candidates have been serving as Judges
in other branches of the Court System so they have a record of their previous
cases and legal background and the various Civic Organizations to which
they belong. Delegates will be swamped with resumes. Most Political Clubs
will hold interviews and forums with the Judicial Candidates at which their
members and interested citizens can meet and hear the various candidates.
And many of the Candidates will hold their own events (usually with great
food) where they may be endorsed by notables and again are available to the
delegates.
This is the time for Delegates (and interested members of the public) to do
their homework. And it is the opportunity for Candidates to make their case
for why they are suited for this position. Justices make important and
consequential decisions. I will say that in the time that I have been
attending the Judicial Convention, I have never met a candidate who I felt
was unqualified for the job, although I have definitely met candidates who I
preferred. Or not.
PART 4 – The Convention
By the time the Convention happens in August it is often clear which
Candidates have enough support from various clubs to secure one of the
available spots. At the start of the process those Candidates will be
approved without contest. Then, each remaining candidate will be
nominated and given the chance to speak and most will use the opportunity
to thank the Delegates and “respectfully decline the nomination.”
However, at each Convention I have attended, there has been a contested
spot and the vote has been taken to determine the final spot.
The Convention is then adjourned and your job as Delegate is over. The
successful Judicial Candidates will now appear on the General Election
Ballot in November on the Democratic Party line.
PART 5 – Why do I think this is all ok? (Remember, this is only
about Manhattan. The process in other Counties may have
differences, but I can only speak to Manhattan.)
First, Manhattan is so strongly Democratic that typically only Democrats are
nominated. This helps to explain why the number of nominees is the often
same as the number of positions voted on. (For technical reasons you will
occasionally see a nominee on another party line on the General Ballot in a
Judicial slot.)
As I said earlier, in my experience, I have never met a Judicial Candidate
who I felt was UN-qualified to be considered. (I should note that I have
some attorney friends who have expressed their opinion that a particular
Judge was unqualified.)
Each Candidate has gone through the Democratic Party Vetting Panel where
they were considered by various experts, with Candidates in different years
vetted by different Panel members in each year. This produces a diversely
chosen group of Candidates at each Convention.
In addition, Delegates to each Convention collect ballot petition signatures
and are elected on the Primary Ballot for that years Convention. The
Delegates have a real opportunity to consider the Candidates. No doubt
some leaders have some influence, but it is to me a clearly robust process
and not a case of a few cigar-smoking Pols in a back room deciding who is
going to be a Justice.
And finally, I don’t want my Justices elected like any common politico. It
would become a race for the money. And I absolutely don’t want my
Justices directly appointed by one person such as the Mayor or Governor.
The process I am describing has vetting at several levels and decisions made
by concerned citizens with a chance for real consideration of the candidates.
And importantly, I am not able to come up with a better plan. It all depends
as usual on concerned responsible citizen-voters doing their jobs.
This Judicial selection process is not a perfect system, but it is not nearly as
imperfect as it may seem on the surface.
And Finally. To the question I asked at the beginning. “Who are these
people running to become Justices?” As voters you can do your
homework. Become involved. Attend the forums, search the candidates on-
line, speak to the Delegates and express your opinions on the Candidates.
You elect the Judicial Delegates. They owe you their attention. Just like any
elected official does. Thank you.
Trish is making this presentation available on the Inwood Indivisible
website along with a Very short Cliff Notes version and a brief summary of
the Court System in New York.
Nick’s Disclaimer – I am not an attorney, I’m a retired Broadway Stage
Hand. I strongly believe that while the process is very wonky it is very
workable. And I really believe that it is made better by voters who look into
the system. If you have questions or issue with anything I have presented
please reach out.
Inwood Indivisible 