Got this e-mail from Alan Flacks:
THE FLACKS REPORT
Sham Judicial Panel?
In Manhattan, there is a vacancy in the Fifth N.Y.C. Civil Court District created last year when incumbent Judge Karen Smith left the bench to pursue other interests, which, dear reader, if you keep reading, you shall see what one of those interests is. The Fifth District is bounded by West 65th Street on the South and West 110th Street on the North, Central Park West to the Henry Hudson's or North River.
To chose the Democratic Party's nominee for this "open" seat, the 14 political party district leaders--not one of whom can be called a Reformer--in the court district area, meeting clandestinely, have assembled a panel to interview judge "wannabies." This screening panel membership is being kept secret, which is at variance to all other prior panels. Not even the organizations whose heads may have designated the panelists are known.
This panel is a star-chamber panel operating in secret. How can the public have any faith in the choices of such boss-controlled panel? How could any self-respecting, ethical lawyer serve on such group? Why even the Brooklyn Regular Democratic organization makes public its screening panel members (although they are hand-picked by the County Leader)! Furthermore, the Office of Court Administration judicial screening panels (the "Judith Kaye" panels), the Governor's judicial screening panels, the City Mayor's Committee on the Judiciary screening panels without fail make public the names of their serving panelists.
The ostensible reason for the secret panel is to prevent ex parte communications even though nowadays it rarely occurs and in fact there has been no evidence of it.
Now the most interesting aspect. Who is the panel's administrator?
Why the very judge who stepped down from the bench, Karen Smith! This is highly unusual, and it remains to be seen what influence, if any, Ms Smith may have over the panelists.