Senate Judiciary Committee advances two dozen judicial nominations to full Senate

Senator Brad Hoylman Siegel, chair of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee, presided as the committee heard introductory statements from and questioned nominees for interim Supreme Court, Family Court and Court of Claims posts and then advanced the nominees to the full Senate by voice votes.

The committee heard several panels of nominees — presented in groups of three and four — and advanced each nomination to the Senate floor. Nominees described judicial experience ranging from long service as Court of Claims judges who regularly sit as acting Supreme Court justices to newer candidates who have worked as law clerks, prosecutors, public defenders, court attorneys and nonprofit attorneys. Committee members pressed nominees on publication of opinions, handling of high-volume dockets and access for unrepresented litigants.

Why it matters: Advancing the nominations sends the governor’s choices to the full Senate for final action. Several senators raised concerns about representation on the bench, and family-court nominees and others described systemic backlog and access challenges that the courts face.

Most notable exchanges and themes

- Publication and record of decisions: Senator Mayer asked J. David Sampson whether his Court of Claims decisions were publicly available. Sampson said, “All of the cases that I have handled… are filed in the Court of Claims database,” and added, “motion wise, I probably have published close to 1,500 decisions.” The exchange was intended to establish transparency and a public record of written rulings.

- High‑profile civil dockets and experience: Denise Hartman described her handling of the Schoharie limousine crash litigation and the complexity of coordinating many parallel cases, saying the work had been “part of my life for the past several years” and that settlements had brought “some measure… of closure” for many plaintiffs’ families.

- Diversity on the bench: Senator Gustavo Sepúlveda (transcript reference “Senator Sepulveda”) publicly criticized the diversity of the governor’s nominations, saying the committee “has to do a much better job” and called the current process “an embarrassment to the state of New York” for producing too few Latino and other underrepresented candidates. The comment followed panels made up mainly of nominees who are long-serving court staff, prosecutors or civil litigators.

- Family court backlogs and access: Family-court nominees emphasized experience with high-volume calendars and community outreach. Tanya Ettinger, who has spent 16 years in Monroe County Family Court and served as a confidential court attorney, described programs to connect litigants to local services. Several senators urged more resources and closer sequencing of trial days to reduce delay.

- Role and temperament: Across panels, nominees emphasized preparation, respect and judicial temperament. When asked what advice they would give new judges, nominees repeatedly answered with variations of preparation and respect for litigants, including unrepresented parties.

Votes at a glance (committee action)

The committee advanced the nominations below to the full Senate for confirmation. Each entry summarizes the committee’s procedural action as recorded in the hearing transcript (voice vote) and notes when a senator was recorded as being “without recommendation” on the record.

- J. David Sampson — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Denise Hartman — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Walter Rivera — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Michael Kitsis — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senator Palumbo was recorded on the transcript as “without recommendation.” - Jonathan Svetsky — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senator Palumbo was recorded on the transcript as “without recommendation.” - Tanya Ettinger — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Jessica Wilcox — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senators Palumbo and O’Meara were recorded as “without recommendation.” - Monica Wallace — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Gregory McCaffrey — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senators Palumbo and O’Meara were recorded as “without recommendation.” - John Bringewatt — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senators Palumbo and O’Meara were recorded as “without recommendation.” - Abby Perrer — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senators Palumbo, O’Meara and Mayor were recorded as “without recommendation.” - Noel Mendez — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific“without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Natasha Carbajal Evangelista — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Mary Lynn Nicholas Brewster — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Aaron Glevin — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Menachem Moroznick — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senator Palumbo was recorded as “without recommendation” in the transcript for this panel vote. - Jay Kim — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No specific “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this motion. - Dennis Rio — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). Senator Palumbo was recorded as “without recommendation.” - Eileen Fearn — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Darlene Goldberg — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Gordon Cuffee — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - James Ferrara — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Rhonda Tomlinson — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote. - Cheryl Joseph — Nomination advanced to the Senate floor (voice vote). No “without recommendation” recorded in the transcript for this vote.

What the committee did not decide

No final confirmations were made in committee; advancing a nomination sends it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. The committee did not take roll‑call tallies in the transcript excerpts; the hearing used voice votes for advancement and explicitly recorded only a few members as “without recommendation” on the record.

Context and next steps

- Each nominee advanced by the committee will next appear on the Senate floor calendar for a confirmation vote by the full Senate. - Several senators pressed for greater bench diversity; the committee did not adopt any new policy or require additional reviewer steps during this session.

Ending

Committee members closed the session after completing the panels and advancing the slate. Chair Hoylman Siegel adjourned the meeting and said members would reconvene for the next hearing cycle. The full Senate will now consider the advanced nominations on the floor.