THE FLACKS REPORT[30 Sept. 09]

Clifton Maloney---Judicial Convention

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Clifton Maloney

Clifton Maloney’s funeral will be held next Friday, October 9th, 2009, 11 A.M., at the Brick Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue at East 91st Street, Manhattan .

The Maloney family will be receiving friends at the family home, 49 East 92nd Street, Manhattan, this Thursday, October 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. They will also receive friends next Wednesday, October 7th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

The biography of Clif Maloney, previously sent to you by Email, was written by his older daughter, Christina.

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Judicial Convention Chooses Billings

Lucy Adams Billings was chosen at this year's Democratic First Judicial District Convention on 24 Sept. 2009 for the seat vacated by John Stackhouse. While there was no contested vote at the convention (all candidates were nominated but withdrew in favor of Billings ), the previous week saw much political activity and lobbying by some of the candidates and their “handlers,” so that by the evening of the convention, the die was cast. The delegate strengths were: Kern 54 (according to Joanne Saccone); Billings 100+ (according to Billings ); Gesmer 2 to 4; and Scarpulla 1 to 3 pledged delegates. [Sixty-five votes were needed of the 128 total delegates.] The total of the votes claimed by each candidate exceed 128—you figure.

There was much a-do, with Billings in the lead with the "she has seniority" vote, "it's her turn" vote, and “she's nearing retirement age” vote (as she expressed at the forum where all active candidates spoke on 16th Sept.), while Cynthia Kern gave Billings a run-for-the-money on the “elect-a-gay” platform according to the consensus of pundit commentators. Ellen Gesmer tried to get some votes for show to enhance her chances next year. Laura Drager, Matthew Cooper, Faviola Soto weren’t running. First-time-out Deborah Kaplan was meeting and greeting delegates to become known, and Scarpulla wanted to try anyway. No known other contenders. And surprisingly, all active candidates agreed to provide the media with copies of their boring County and OCA applications. Should prove interesting who will actually do so.

The screening panel reported Civil Court Judges Deborah Kaplan, Matthew Cooper, and Ellen Gesmer as the three "most highly qualified" of the twelve applicants [eleven lower court judges and one attorney] who appeared before the New York County Democratic Party's screening panel for the single State Supreme Court vacancy in the First Judicial District [Manhattan].

These three were considered at the First District judicial convention along with five others known as “2/4” candidates (Laura Drager, Saliann Scarpulla, Cynthia Kern, Lucy Billings, and Faviola Soto; however, Soto, Drager, and Cooper withdrew from consideration).

The Party’s "2/4" rule says that a candidate for County-wide judicial office who is “reported out” by two screening panels in the previous four consecutive years, may be considered as “panel screened”--and need not re-submit to a panel--for the next four years (excluding any year wherein there is no real “open” vacancy; that is, say, should there be no vacancy or only seats of incumbents seeking re-election). Got that?

The names of this year's screening panelists follow. In parenthesis are the names of the organizations’ whose titular heads, acting in their individual capacity, appointed these panelists; that is to say, no organization per se appointed a panelist. The panelists voted in rounds by secret ballot, voting for the three each panelist considered the “most highly qualified” of the twelve applicants. A majority of votes for three was reached after the third round of voting.

Shoshanna T. Bookson, Esq. ( N.Y. State Trial Lawyers Assn.)

Peter L. Cedeno, Esq. (Dominican Bar Assn.)

J. Patrick DeLince, Esq. (Nat’l Employment Lawyers Assn., N.Y.C.

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Jo Ann Douglas, Esq. (N.Y. Woman’s Bar Assn., N.Y.C. Chapter)

Marti Golden Greenberg (N.A.A.C.P. – Mid-Manhattan Branch)

Heidi Harris, Esq. ( American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers)

Christin J. Masimore, Esq. (M.F.Y. Legal Services)

Freddy Molano, M.D. (Community Health Care Network)

Hae Sung Nam , Esq. (Asian American Bar Assn. of N.Y.)

Thomas Sciacca, Esq. (LeGal)

Barry Thomas, Esq. (Metropolitan Black Bar Assn.)