Panel Recommends Three Manhattan Civil Court Candidates
Another judicial race quietly got underway in Manhattan last night when a judicial screening panel released the names of candidates they consider the most qualified Democrats for the countywide judge position in the county's First District, that will be on the ballot later this year.
The three people reported out of the committee were: Gerald Lebovits, Nancy Bannon and Frank Nervo.
Among those who met with the panel, but were not recommended, are Frank Perry, chairman of Community Board 10; Lynn Kotler, president of the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club; and David Cohen, a housing court judge.
The judicial screening panel has an informal role by which independent individuals in the legal community determine who they believe to be the most qualified candidates for judicial positions--it's basically supposed to be a way of establishing who has the necessary legal knowledge, but the panel's recommendations are nonbinding.
Not getting reported out of the panel does not prevent anyone from continuing their judicial campaign, but it might help as the candidates take the next steps to win over clubs and political allies.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.1
- 41.4
- Obama +4.7
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.7
- 33.0
- +22.7
- McCain
- 52.7
- 34.1
- +18.6
Candidates who don't come out of the panel are almost never considered by the political clubs. They have made it a point of honor to honor the panel screening system as a way to insure judicial merit. It's one of the main reasons why Manhattan has what is considered an honest bench...especially compared with the other boroughs.
Insiders knew as far back as March the likely candidate to be reported out by the panel. And he was.
Insiders knew as far back as March the likely candidate to be reported out by the panel. And he was.
Frank Nervo will be a wise addition to the bench.
He is whip-smart and most importantly, ETHICAL!
It was a given for months downtown that Nervo was coming out of that panel, which was put together by a district leader who would go around bragging that he set up an 'independent' screening panel, yet would have Nervo with him in tow at party functions, proclaiming: "This is Frank Nervo, MY candidate!"
Look at the groups that were included and those that were excluded. Included: Out of about ten associations chosen, two were LGBT groups and another was the Italian (Columbian) Bar Association. (Nervo is a gay Italian.)
How would anyone on this blog know anything about Nervo's qualifications? He rarely opens his mouth.
Frank is a decent fellow, but the whole panel this year was tainted by this controlling district leader and Frank's candidacy is being tainted as a result.
If you don't believe me, anyone want to take bets that Nervo wins? Indeed,the prior poster agrees with me that Nervo is the winner, even before any club endorsements have been made and the election held.
They keep it secretive as to who is on the screening panel because the're disgraceful and disloyal democrats who raided the party to select judges who will lie and ignore the law to rule for the local commercial interests of thoes influential and connected to corrupt party insiders. The members of the judicial selection committee should not only be revealed but fired for causing the bad reputation that our terrible judges have made: Lobis, Shafer, Bransten, Mazzarelli, Braun, Kapnik...