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BROOKLYN DEMS EXPAND JUDICIAL VETTING PANEL TO INCLUDE GREATER COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION
Updated member seats represent LGBTQ, Caribbean, Haitian, Italian, Jewish, Muslim communities and Legal Aid Society
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn today announced that the Executive Committee of the Kings County Democratic County Committee unanimously voted to reform the structure of its Judicial Screening Committee by increasing the number of member seats for greater community representation and transparency of the judicial vetting process.
“This transformational vote marks a pivotal and proactive step in our ongoing efforts to modernize the Party and reflects our unwavering commitment to a judiciary that mirrors the growing diversity of Brooklyn,” Party Chair Bichotte Hermelyn said. “Elevating and including these key legal organizations brings a broader range of perspectives and lived experiences critical for the communities we serve and ultimately reinforces public trust in the judicial selection process.”
The resolution transitions lawyers from rotating members to permanent standing status on the Judicial Screening Committee from the following organizations: Caribbean American Lawyers Association, Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York, Jewish Lawyers Guild, Legal Aid Society of New York City, LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and Muslim Bar Association of New York, with an additional member seat added from the Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn.
“This expansion represents invaluable additions to the Panel and will help share the prodigious workload of screening and vetting candidates for the bench,” said Martin Edelman, Chair of the Judicial Screening Committee, the 32-member panel that convenes annually to interview and vet qualified trial attorneys who wish to run for open seats in New York State Supreme Court and Civil Court of the City of New York in Kings County.
“We are proud to have a seat at the table and join this diverse coalition for such an important process that vets and supports judicial candidates in Brooklyn,” said Fatoumata Waggeh, Secretary of the Muslim Bar Association of New York.
“Increased representation in the courts is vital to improving the community’s trust in the judicial system, and expanding this panel to include members from the Caribbean community, which represent a significant population in Brooklyn, is a sign of exemplary leadership and progress,” said Sylvia Hinds-Radix, President of Caribbean American Lawyers Association.
“The inclusion of competent, legal representation from the Italian American community will enhance the diverse, dedicated, professional composition of this important committee,” said Steven Bamundo, Executive Chair of Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn.
The remainder of the permanent standing members represent the Asian American Bar Association of New York, Brooklyn Bar Association, Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn Women's Bar Association, Kings County Criminal Bar Association, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Association and Puerto Rican Bar Association of New York.
Current rotating member seats are held by lawyers from Arab American Bar Association of New York, Association of Black Women Attorneys, Brehon Law Society of New York, Brooklyn Brandeis Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, Brooklyn-Manhattan Trial Lawyers Association, Bushwick Housing and Legal Services, Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County, Dominican Bar Association, Iranian American Bar Association-New York, Judicial Friends Association, Kings County Conference Knights of Columbus, Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, New York Criminal Bar Association, New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, New York State Court Officers Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Alliance, Nigerian Lawyers Association, South Asian Bar Association of New York and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.
An ad hoc committee of Brooklyn Democratic District Leaders hosts community judicial forums for the public to meet the candidates seeking civil court endorsements in the primary and for Supreme Court endorsements before the Party’s nominating convention in August.
The Judicial Screening Committee is currently accepting applications from candidates who seek to be considered for endorsement by the Brooklyn Democratic Party for open seats in 2026 for Justice of the Supreme Court and Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County. Questionnaires are due Nov. 14 and can be found on the Brooklyn Dems website at https://brooklyndems.com/our-party/committee/.
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With approximately 1.2 million registered Democrats in Brooklyn, the Kings County Democratic County Committee is the largest Democratic political organization in the state of New York.
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