Statement by the NYC Bar Association On Judicial Convention Decision

The New York City Bar Association today released the following statement from its President, Bettina B. Plevan:

Judge John Gleeson’s decision invalidating the use of Judicial Conventions to select party nominees for the State Supreme Court provides an excellent opportunity to improve the way judges are selected in New York. The decision underscores the power political leaders have over who decides the millions of cases brought in New York each year which affect us collectively and individually.

However, the ruling that party nominees be selected by direct primaries until the Legislature passes an alternative still leaves us with many problems. Forcing all Supreme Court candidates into an election where they must raise funds from lawyers who would appear before them and address issues likely to come before them if elected, all while still needing to curry favor with political leaders, is not the long-term solution.

The Legislature must engage in a full, serious examination of alternatives to the judicial convention process. The goal must be to develop a system for selecting judges that earns public confidence and provides a judiciary of the highest quality. We urge that consideration be given to adopting the method of appointment of judges in which citizen committees review candidates’ qualifications and recommend only the most highly qualified for appointment by an accountable elected official. We believe this will best achieve the goal and reduce the inappropriate influence of the party political leaders that led to Judge Gleeson’s decision.

About the Association
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (www.nycbar.org) was founded in 1870, and since then has been dedicated to maintaining the high ethical standards of the profession, promoting reform of the law, and providing service to the profession and the public.