Clarke: Judicial Reforms in Brooklyn

"I supported Judge Margarita Lopez Torres for Surrogate Court because of her courage of standing up for an independent judiciary in Brooklyn. Her victory in that race and Federal Judge Gleeson decision on Judge Lopez Torres lawsuit against Judicial Conventions who Gleeson ruled only select Supreme Court Judicial candidates chosen by the democratic party bosses, will change who runs for judge and how they elected for years to come in Brooklyn. But more reforms are needed to ensure our courts and judges remain independent." - Yvette Clarke

Judge Gleeson ruling opened the way for well-qualified attorneys to seek positions on the bench, even if they do not have close ties to party leaders. "I will do everything I can to push for the necessary changes in how judges are elected, said Yvette Clarke. "We must make sure that the reforms of the Brooklyn Courts that Judge Margarita Lopez Torres started to end judicial corrupt, become permanent."

Voters are the real winners. With primary elections for Supreme Court candidates, rather than nominating conventions, voters will finally play a meaningful role in the nomination process, as they have with candidates for every other state elective office.

Primaries will be a big step forward, but the state Legislature should improve Supreme Court elections even further with two additional reforms:

Redraw the judicial districts: Elect Supreme Court Judges by Assembly District and Civil Court Judges by Assembly District. Smaller districts would make it easier for candidates to communicate with voters about their qualifications and to learn about the communities whose votes they seek. It would significantly increase the opportunities for candidates of color to compete.

Develop public campaign financing: Full public funding would further improve the process by getting judicial candidates out of the business of raising campaign contributions from lawyers and parties who appear before them, while improving the quality of the judiciary by expanding the pool of candidates who can run.

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Endorsements

Hon. Betsy Gotbaum
NY Public Advocate

Hon. C. Virginia Fields
Manhattan Borough Pres.

Hon. Anthony Weiner
U.S. Congress

Hon. Donna Christian-Christensen
U.S. Representative for US Virgin Islands

Hon. Bill de Blasio
Councilmember, 39th CD

Hon. Kendall Stewart
Councilmember, 45th CD

Hon. Melissa Mark-Viverito
Councilmember, 8th CD

Hon. Annabel Palma
Councilmember, 18th CD

Hon. Rosie Mendez
Councilmember, 2nd CD

Hon. Helen Sears
Councilmember, 25th CD

Hon. John Liu
Councilmember, 20th CD

Hon. Melinda Katz
Councilmember, 29th CD

Hon. Helen Foster
Councilmember, 16th CD

Hon. Darlene Mealy
Councilmember, 41st CD

Hon. Alan Gerson
Councilmember, 1st CD

Hon. Miguel Martinez
Councilmember, 10th CD

Hon. James Sanders, Jr.
Councilmember, 31st CD

Hon. Phil Reed

Hon. Mayor Wayne Hall
Mayor Hempstead, LI

Hon. Nick Perry
Assemblymember, 58th AD

Hon. John Sampson
NY State Senator, 19th

Alan Fleishman
District Leader, 52nd AD

Rev. Dr. Paul Smith

Roberta Flack

Emily's List

Women Building for the Future PAC

National Women's Political Caucus

Women's Campaign Forum

Jim Owles Democratic Club

Stonewall Democratic Club

Caribbean American Leadership Summit

100 Clergy for Clarke

Progressive Democrat Political Association

Guyanese-American Workers United

Men and Women Against Domestic Violence

1199/SEIU

32BJ

District Council 9, Painters

Local 420, Hospital Wkrs, DC37 AFSCME

Mason Tenders District Council, LIUNA

United Food and Commerical Workers (UFCW), Local 1500

International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Joint Council 16

UNITE / HERE!

Hotel Trades Council (NYC)

HERE, Local 6 (Hotel Workers)

Carpenters, Local 926 (Brooklyn)