New York Law Blog

New York governor David Patterson will soon have the task of choosing a new chief judge for the state’s Court of Appeals marking one of the most important decisions the recently appointed governor will have to make. Many high profile cases will come before the state’s highest court in the next few years that could have long lasting effects on legislation in the state, including eminent domain and the collection of state sales tax via online outlets. Governor Patterson however, while holding the authority to make the final appointment, must choose from a list of nominees from the Commission on Judicial Nomination.

The selection process for a Court of Appeals judge isn’t wholly appointive. Mr. Paterson’s nominee for the position must, by law, come from a list of seven candidates that will be determined this fall by the state’s 12-member Commission on Judicial Nomination. The candidates themselves must apply for the position to this commission. After being nominated, the chief judge must be confirmed by the Senate.

Just where will the nominees come from? Many of the believed nominees hold offices in  other branches of court such as James Yates from the Supreme Court in Manhattan and Carmen Ciparick who is the second longest serving judge on the Court of Appeals, while others may come from other arenas.

Others who are expected to apply and will likely end up on the short list of seven candidates, lawyers who are following the selection process say, include an administrative judge in Manhattan, Fern Fisher, and the general counsel in the state comptroller’s office, Luke Bierman, who is a former professor.

Applications to be considered on the short list for nomination must be received by September 8 with a final appointment to follow soon after.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 10:28 pm and is filed under Court System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.