Judicial Reports: Spitzer's Pick

The panel that selected the finalists for the next opening on New York's highest court is filled with members who were appointed by former Governor George Pataki. Yet the final list is dominated by Democrats. Still, that makes new Governor Eliot Spitzer's job only a little bit easier. A review of the finalists' profiles reveals that the calculus is not obvious.

The Seven — Profiles of the Finalists for New York's Highest Court:

 

Transit Stop:
Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Theodore Jones did what AG Eliot Spitzer asked. Which might mean the latter won't elevate the former.
—By Jesse Sunenblick

 

The Contrarian:
Appellate jurist Richard Andrias offers a record of well-respected dissent.
—By Jason Boog

 

The Litigator:
George Carpinello is a white male partner at the controversial plaintiffs firm Boies Schiller. Talk about a dark horse.
—By Jason Boog

 

Idea Man:
Appellate jurist Steven Fisher is intellectually curious . . . and one of former Governor Pataki's favorite Democrats on the bench.
—By Jesse Sunenblick

 

Stuck in the Middle:
Too liberal for George Pataki, Thomas Mercure seems too conservative for Eliot Spitzer.
—By Mark Thompson

 

The Bureaucrat:
Juanita Bing Newton is a respected administrator who has improved justice for the indigent. But she has not presided over a case in a decade. Does trial experience even matter on the Court of Appeals?
—By Jesse Sunenblick

 

Defensive Guard:
Manhattan Supreme Court judge James Yates is a big champion of the defense bar. Will a former prosecutor promote him?
—By Mark Thompson

Posted by Dirk on January 2, 2007 05:24 PM to Judicial Reports