JUDGES SELECTING JUDGES?

Moments ago, we received an e-mail from political observer and commentator, Alan Flacks.

Has Alan uncovered yet another scandal plaguing this year's New York County "independent" screening panel?

Recently, the group voted out three "most highly qualified" candidates for the New York County Civil Court, and will be doing the same -- on Monday evening, June 30, 2008 -- for New York County Supreme. But should they?

Here's his report:

This year's N.Y. County organization's screening panel for the State trial bench finds two panelists who should not be on it -- not only should not be on it, but with one panelist, there is definitely a conflict of interest and an appearance of impropriety: the designee from Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA).

JALBCA is not a bar association, and it is an organization with many judges as both members and directors and officers having a relationship with the panel applicants. Indeed, its first word is "Judges." Judges naming judges? (And this panel's administrator is on its board of directors.)

Further, the County's judiciary committee did not ask JALBCA. How did it get there?

In the case of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, that organization was specifically not invited. ["The Jewish Lawyers Guild is an organization of lawyers and jurists founded in 1962 upon fellowship and faith in tradition." -- Their statement.] It was considered by the judiciary committee and rejected. It is neither a bar association nor a community organization.

How did its person get on the panel?

Both of their panelists are improper and must not vote.

Flacks also revealed the identities of this year's members of the "independent" screening panel by name and affiliated organization. (This list has not been independently verified.) They are:

Albania C. Almanzar, Esq.........Dominican Bar Assn.

Laurie Berke-Weiss, Esq...........Fordham Law School

Cirino M. Bruno, Esq.................Columbian Lawyers Assn.

Robert Y. Chung, Esq................Asian-American Bar Assn.

Regina L. Darby, Esq.................N.Y.S. Trial Lawyers Assn.

Telesforo del Valle, Jr., Esq........Puerto Rican Bar Assn.

Joseph M. Drayton, Esq.............Metro. Black Bar Assn.

Herbert Eisenberg, Esq..............Nat'l Employment Lawyers Assn.

Donald Frank, Esq.....................Am. Acad. of Matr. Lawyers (NYS Chap.)

Eugene A. Gaer, Esq.................Assn. of the Bar of the City of New York

Martha L. Golar, Esq..................Judges & Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert

Patricia a. Grant, Esq.................N.Y. Women's Bar Assn.

Dorothy I. Gordon.......................Mid-Manhattan N.A.A.C.P.

David Hoffman, Esq...................Jewish Lawyers Guild

Todd V. Lamb, Esq....................Lesbian & Gay Law Assn.

Jonathan Y. Ng, Esq...................Asian Amercans for Equality

Runa Rajagopal, Esq..................MFY Legal Services

Joshua F. Scheier, Esq...............Assn. of Legal Aid Attys.

Glenn H. Spiegel, Esq.................LGBT Community Ctr.

Erica Terrell.................................Harlem Children's Zone

[County guidelines ask for, but do not demand, at least one third of the panelists be lawyers and at least one third be lay people. Here we have only two non-lawyers.]