I was a delegate to the Judicial Convention. We nominated Democratic candidates for the New York Supreme Court. Sounds grand. It was kind of grand. These are judges in New York’s trial court. Those elected preside in the trial courts for Manhattan – 1.5 million people here.
I noticed the delegates next to our group. They looked like lawyers. Wore suits. Some wore ties. Our delegation was scruffier. A couple of us wore tee shirts without collars. Two did wear suits. One of our suited up members made a nomination. Our group. Mostly Third Avenue east to the River. The group next to us. Mostly Lexington Ave to the Park.
Three slots.
First slot. Martin Shulman for re-election. No one ran against him. Nominated by an Asian woman. Unanimously selected as the Democratic nominee.
Second slot. Shawn Kelly. Last year he ran and lost. No one ran against him this year. Nominated by an African American State Senator. Selected as the Democratic nominee. Not exactly unanimous. A few loud no votes. Maybe they were boos.
Third slot. Fifteen nominees. Thirteen withdrew.
Those who withdrew knew they didn’t have the votes. Several were developing name recognition for next year. Those withdrawing were pretty diverse. Seven women, six men. Three African Americans. One Asian. Of the rest, one was a rabbi, several others had Jewish names. Not all.
Next Tidbit. Down to two.
