Brooklyn Dems’ district leaders form Judiciary Committee

The Brooklyn Democratic Party plays a pivotal role in the nominations, endorsements and eventual elections of New York State Supreme Court Justices, Civil Court, and Surrogate Judges. Both the Republican and Conservative parties in Brooklyn also have District Leaders, but Brooklyn is so heavily registered as a Democratic stronghold, the Brooklyn Dems currently “call the shots.” 

The party’s new Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee, composed of five Brooklyn District Leaders, aims to positively transform the process; engaging the community at all levels in these vital elections that have a lasting impact on Brooklynites. 

Besides knowing that judicial candidates are highly-qualified Democrats, “voters typically have little sense of who these judges are on a personal level—how they’re involved in the community, and if they understand voters’ diverse cultural needs and challenges,” says Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who formed the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee. 

“Voters really want to know if an Assemblymember, Congressmember, or any lawmaker, understands their community. They want to ask questions, not just read qualifications—and we’re making that involvement the new standard with judicial candidates.”

District Leaders: A Traditional, Vital Community Liaison

The new Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee is “another step forward for more unity and community involvement,” says Bichotte Hermelyn, and is comprised of appointed Committee Chair Dana Rachlin (District Leader, 50th AD), and Committee Members Sarana Purcell (DL, 43rd AD), Jacqui Painter (DL, 51st AD), Kenesha Traynham-Cooper (DL, 56th AD), and Michael Boomer (DL, 57th AD).

Although there is a Judicial Screening Committee, this new committee adds another important layer to the judicial election process, says Sarana Purcell: “I…