Stephen Weiner

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Stephen Weiner

Common Sense Party, Republican Party, Conservative Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Bronx High School of Science

Bachelor's

Yale College, 1981

Personal

Birthplace

New York

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Stephen Weiner (Republican Party, Conservative Party, Common Sense Party) ran for election for judge of the Queens County Surrogate's Court in New York. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Weiner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Stephen Weiner was born in New York. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. He earned a bachelor's degree from Yale College in 1981. His career experience includes working as an attorney, president of the NYC Board of Elections, and serving as a Queens Commissioner of Elections. He has been affiliated with the Queens County Bar Association, the Historical Society of New York State Courts, and the American Revolution Round-Table of New York.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Queens County, New York (2024)

General election

General election for Queens County Surrogate's Court

Cassandra Johnson defeated Stephen Weiner in the general election for Queens County Surrogate's Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cassandra Johnson (D)	63.7	420,801
		Stephen Weiner (R / Conservative Party / Common Sense Party)	36.1	238,315
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,917

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 661,033
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Queens County Surrogate's Court

Cassandra Johnson defeated Wendy Li in the Democratic primary for Queens County Surrogate's Court on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cassandra Johnson	54.6	34,286
		Wendy Li	44.8	28,158
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	345

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 62,789
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Stephen Weiner advanced from the Republican primary for Queens County Surrogate's Court.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Stephen Weiner advanced from the Conservative Party primary for Queens County Surrogate's Court.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Weiner in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Stephen Weiner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Weiner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in the Bronx, where I attended the Bronx High School of Science. I am a resident of Sunnyside, Queens for over forty years. I am an attorney with nearly forty years of legal experience, who practices in the areas of Wills, Trusts, estate planning, probate, administration, estate litigation and guardianship, the core areas of the Surrogate's Court. My higher education (in reverse order) is Columbia University School of Law (where I was on the Law Review, the highest academic journal) and Yale College, where I was the President of the Yale Debate Association. I worked at two major law firms, Cahill Gordon & Reindel and Schulte Roth & Zabel, before starting my own private law practice in 1993. My legal experience includes trials, appeals, arbitrations, and mediation. The Queens Surrogate's Court named me as standby guardian for my special needs step-son. Based on this experience with special needs, I have a strong interest in assisting people needing to have such guardianships. Beginning about 2001 the Surrogate Judge of Queens appointed me as a Guardian ad Litem in more than ten cases. My experience since then includes numerous probates and administration matters, a kinship trial, a lost will proceeding, undue influence cases, replacing fiduciaries, and proceedings against fiduciaries. I have been a co-Trustee of a testamentary Trust. For the past eleven years, Thomson Reuters has rated me as a NYC "Superlawyer" in Probate.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to bring positive change to the Queens Surrogate's Court, by having it process cases excellently, sensitively and faster, and making information more easily accessible to the public .
• I want to see equal justice under law applied in the Court, with fairness and compassion in all its affairs. It should place a priority on providing better translation services to all persons who need them.
• I want to end the perception of political influence in the Court.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Judges are not supposed to opine on matters of public policy that are not before them. I am passionate about impartial administration of equal justice under law in the Surrogate's Court. It is a specialized Court focussing on Probate, Administration, Guardianship, and Adoption.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, Competence, Hard Work, listening skills, patience,

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Correct application of the law in the areas addressed by the Court: Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, Probate, Administration, Estate Litigation and Guardianship. Fairness and Compassion in the treatment of Court personnel and the public. Good administration of the Court to make the experience as positive and constructive as possible. Willingness to adopt best practices and to innovate based on careful consideration of new circumstances.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Leaving the Surrogate's Court of Queens better understood and respected by the people of Queens.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, I was about four years old.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Not enough people are familiar with what the Surrogate's Court does on a day-to-day basis. We should do more to help people learn about it.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I am guided by precedent and rules and by a regard for compassion and human dignity.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I admire certain judge's decisions. I am refraining from naming them.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

No.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am qualified and this is a public service that I can provide for the people of Queens.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, and I have experience as a past President of the NYC Board of Elections (1999) and Queens Commissioner of Elections (1997-2004)

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Integrity.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

To apply equal justice under law.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

This is my first judicial position so I will do the best I can with it.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Not always.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Dov Hikind, Joann Ariola, Robert Holden, Vickie Paladino, Curtis Sliwa, NYC Fire Marshalls, Queens County GOP, Queens County Conservative Party, Queens County Common Sense Party

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

They are important.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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Candidate

Queens County Surrogate's Court

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Footnotes

New York courts

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State resources:

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