Historic nominations for New York State Supreme Court by Brooklyn Democrats

The Brooklyn Democratic Party leaders have nominated six candidates for the New York State Supreme Court following their annual meeting on Monday night. 

The nominees are all currently sitting judges in lower courts: Hon. Rachel Freier, Hon. Saul Stein, Hon. Caroline Piella Cohen, Hon. Heela Cappell, Hon. Sharon Clarke, and Hon. Joanne Quinones. They were selected from a pool of 16 candidates.

The significance of this year’s nominations is evident in the representation: it’s the first time in memory that two Orthodox judges, Freier and Stein, have been nominated in a single year. This highlights the changing dynamics and representation in the judiciary.

Following this announcement, the party will instruct its judicial delegates to vote at Thursday’s judicial convention in favor of the six candidates who garnered the most support from district leaders. Given the clear direction from the party, many of the other 10 candidates for the Supreme Court seats are expected to withdraw ahead of the convention, as their path to nomination now seems unlikely.