Senate Judiciary Committee advances two dozen judicial nominations to full Senate

The New York State Senate Judiciary Committee on a multi-hour hearing advanced 24 judicial nominations to the full Senate for consideration, Chair Senator Brad Hoylman Siegel said during the session.

The nominations, submitted by Governor Kathy Hochul, cover interim appointments across the State—s Supreme Court, Family Court and Court of Claims, and were moved to the floor by voice votes at the committee meeting. Nominees introduced themselves, described their backgrounds and answered questions from committee members before the panel voted to advance each nomination.

Why it matters: Advancing a nomination from committee is the key procedural step that allows the full Senate to debate and vote on confirmation. The nominees will not assume their new roles until the Senate votes on and confirms each appointment.

Several senators praised individual nominees for their experience and public-service records. Senator Mike (Mayer) and others asked nominees about courtroom practice, case-management approaches and handling high-volume dockets. Senator Luis Sepulveda raised concerns about the overall diversity of the slate, saying the group of 25 nominees lacked sufficient representation; he asked the committee and nominating processes to improve diversity. Senator Jamaal Bailey gave extended praise for Noel Mendez—s work as Senate counsel and for his trajectory from public housing and law enforcement to legal service.

Votes at a glance

Each nomination below was advanced by the committee to the full Senate. Where the committee recorded a senator as —without recommendation— during a roll-call exchange, that is noted in the item—s…