Center for Judicial Accountability Calls for Chief Judge Kaye’s Intervention
to Stop NY’s 9th Judicial District Cross-Endorsements Scheme
A letter to Judith Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York, posted on the Center for Judicial Accountability, Inc. (CJA) website, www.Judgewatch.org, calls for her prompt intervention to turn back the judicial cross-endorsement voting scheme reinstituted by Republican and Democratic party leaders in NY’s 9th Judicial District (Westchester, Putnam, Duchess, Rockland, and Orange Counties) at this year’s Judicial Nominating Conventions. To date, the Chief Judge has not responded.
Implementing the terms and conditions of a prior party-boss brokered agreement, Republicans endorsed the Democratic nomination of Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman and, in exchange, Democrats endorsed the Republican nomination of Westchester County Court Judge Joseph Alessandro, a judge found “not qualified” by the Westchester Bar Association. Both are now guaranteed election. Barring a voter revolt, swift action must be taken by public officials to protect the electorate from this gross fraud on voters’ rights.
It is CJA’s position that the specific penal prohibitions of Election Law, §17-158 make major party “quid pro quo” bartering of judicial nominations a crime against the franchise, punishable as a felony. To hold otherwise contravenes New York’s constitutional mandate for “election” of its Supreme Court judges.
Doris L. Sassower, CJA Director, former president of the NY Women’s Bar Association, stated “This brazen judicial cross-endorsement deal is yet another assault by public officers on the Election Law, the NYS Constitution, and the Code of Judicial Conduct. It is incumbent on Chief Judge Kaye to dissuade Chief Judge Lippman and Judge Alessandro from going forward with their illegal nominations.” Kaye appointed Lippman to his present position as NY’s highest administrative judicial officer in 1996.
CJA’s letter to Kaye concludes: “Based on Your Honor’s prompt, decisive actions in the wake of the recent Brooklyn Supreme Court judicial scandal, CJA respectfully calls upon you to perform the duties of your office as Chief Judge of the State of New York and of its Court of Appeals by taking such action as would be appropriate. Needless to say, this would include exercising your formidable powers of persuasion to have these two nominees withdraw and rescind their acceptances of these improperly given Supreme Court nominations so as to avoid having this shameful situation bring further discredit on our state judiciary.”
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