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New York Court of Appeals justice vacancy (April 2023)
| New York Court of Appeals |
|---|
 |
| Wilson vacancy |
| Date: April 18, 2023 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Caitlin J. Halligan |
| Date: April 10, 2023 |
New York governor Kathy Hochul appointed Caitlin J. Halligan to the New York Court of Appeals. Halligan replaced Judge Rowan Wilson, who ascended to the position of Chief Judge on April 18, 2023. Wilson's replacement was Governor Hochul's (D) third nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
In New York, state court of appeals judges are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Judges are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the New York Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2023.
The appointee
- See also: Caitlin J. Halligan
Halligan received her undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1988 and her J.D. from Georgetown Law School in 1995.[1]
After graduating from law school, Halligan clerked for Judge Patricia Wald and Justice Stephen Breyer. She worked in the private practice of law until 1999, when she joined the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Two years later, Halligan became First Deputy Solicitor General in the state, then Solicitor General for New York, a position she served in for five years. She went back into private practice until 2010, when she joined the New York County District Attorney's Office.[2]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in New York
Midterm vacancies are filled by assisted appointment. The governor appoints a new judge from a list of qualified nominees submitted by a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by the New York State Senate. The newly appointed judge serves a full 14-year term.[3][4]
Makeup of the court
- See also: New York Court of Appeals
Justices
Following Wilson's ascension, the New York Court of Appeals included the following members:
| ■ Anthony Cannataro (Acting Chief Justice) | Appointed originally by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in 2021 | |
| ■ Michael Garcia | Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in 2016 | |
| ■ Jenny Rivera | Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in 2013 | |
| ■ Madeline Singas | Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in 2021 | |
| ■ Shirley Troutman | Appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in 2022 |
About the court
Founded in 1847, the New York Court of Appeals is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Rowan Wilson.
About Judge Wilson
- See also: Rowan Wilson
Wilson first became a member of the State of New York Court of Appeals through gubernatorial appointment. He was appointed in January 2017 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to succeed retired Judge Eugene Pigott, and was confirmed by the New York State Senate on February 6, 2017.[5]
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) nominated Wilson to be chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals on April 10, 2023. Wilson was confirmed as chief judge on April 18, 2023.[6]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2023
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2023
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2023. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Vance Deputy Nominated to Be Federal Appellate Judge," September 29, 2010
- ↑ The White House, Press Release: "President Obama Names Two to U.S. Circuit Courts," September 29, 2010
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New York," accessed September 12, 2021
- ↑ New York State, "The Constitution of the State of New York," accessed September 12, 2021 (Article VI)
- ↑ Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, "Governor Cuomo Nominates Rowan D. Wilson as Associate Judge on New York State Court of Appeals," January 16, 2017
- ↑ Court of Appeals State of New York, "Honorable Rowan D. Wilson," accessed April 20, 2023
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Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York
State courts:
New York Court of Appeals • New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division • New York Supreme Court • New York County Courts • New York City Courts • New York Town and Village Courts • New York Family Courts • New York Surrogates' Courts • New York City Civil Court • New York City Criminal Courts • New York Court of Claims • New York Problem Solving Courts
State resources:
Courts in New York • New York judicial elections • Judicial selection in New York
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