I'm Back!

     I'll be back!  The Flacks Report is coming back.  We're working on it as you read this. My technical support team is using the Enigma machine to decode all the secret messages received since the last posting.  This might take a little while until the team returns from Bletchley Park, and we'll be up and running by the Fall.

s/"Alan Flacks Turing"

Court of Appeals Judge Jones Dies

By Joel Stashenko, New York Law Journal, 7 November 2012

        Judge Theodore Jones Jr., a member of the state Court of Appeals since 2007, died overnight of an apparent heart attack. He was 68.
        Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said Jones died either late last night or early this morning after being transported to a hospital near his home in the New York City metropolitan area. He had been in Rochester earlier in the day for an event to promote diversity in the courts, Lippman said. . . .
        Jones was the only black judge of the seven-member Court of Appeals and was chairman of its diversity committee. He also was co-chairman of Lippman's Justice Task Force, which was tasked with finding ways to reduce wrongful convictions.
        Jones was nominated in January 2007 by Eliot Spitzer, the newly elected governor, and confirmed the following month by the state Senate. He had been elected to the Supreme Court from Brooklyn in 1990.        A Brooklyn native, Jones graduated from Hampton University in Virginia in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, where he was stationed in Vietnam and rose to the rank of captain. He graduated from St. John's University School of Law in 1972.
        Jones' term on the Court of Appeals was to have ended on Dec. 31, 2014, when he would have been forced to step down by mandatory retirement rules. Another member of the court, Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick will retire the bench at the end of this year.
        Jones is survived by his wife of more than 40 years, Joan Sarah Hogans, and two sons, Theodore Jones III, an attorney, and Wesley Jones.

Bobby Berlin 1932--2012

Long-time Democratic political operative and campaign manager for many, "Bobby" Berlin died Friday, 26th October, 2012, of heart failure.         Funeral scheduled for this Wednesday, 31st October, 2012,  at 10:00 A.M. (family will be receiving at 9:30 A.M.), Riverside Memorial Chapel, Amsterdam Ave. between W. 75th and W. 76th Streets, Manhattan.  Shiva afterward from 2 to 6 P.M., 140 West 79th Str. - Apt. 8B chez Cole.                 Bobby was most proud of her pro bono work in helping to elect qualified judges to the bench.         Elaine Roberta "Bobby" Berlin, 3 Sept. 1932 -- 26 Oct. 2012, dead at the age of eighty. ============================= Published in The New York Times on 28th October, 2012:  BERLIN--Bobby. Fierce Upper West Side Democratic activist Bobby Berlin, who was most proud of her efforts to help reform the Manhattan Judiciary, passed away peacefully on October 26. She freely donated her time, unparalleled wisdom and expertise to elect many highly qualified judges. She is survived by her brother Herbert, daughter Christina, son-in-law Robert, grandchildren Lauren and Lisa, niece Shoshana, nephew Robbie and many friends from government, politics and her community. She was predeceased by her longtime companion Joe. Funeral Services will be held at 10am on Monday, October 29 [Changed to Wed. - Ed.] at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to World Wildlife Fund, Alzheimer's Association or Planned Parenthood.

McGovern Dies in Sioux Falls Hospice

George McGovern, the United States senator who won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972 but lost to President Richard M. Nixon and was an opponent of the Vietnam War and a champion of liberal causes, died this morning, Sunday, at 90 in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospice at 5:15 a.m. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19967537 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/george-mcgovern-senator-nixon-rival-dead-90-article-1.1188588 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/us/politics/george-mcgovern-a-democratic-presidential-nominee-and-liberal-stalwart-dies-at-90.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-mcgovern-diesbre89k06i-20121021,0,5962602.story

Congressman Nadler Speaks Tonight on Manhattan's Upper West Side

Reminder:      Tonight, Wednesday, October 10, 2012, ["Double Ten" Day:  Founding of the Chinese Nationalist Republic by Sun Yat-sen with the overthrow of the last emperor, 10-10-1911.], Jerrold Nadler, M.C., will discuss President Obama's re-election campaign and the Democrats' efforts to re-take the House of Representatives. 8 o'clock P.M., Upper West Side Obama campaign office at 2689 Broadway between W. 102nd & W. 103rd Sts. (west side of Broadway).  All welcome.

Oктябрь Events

5th October, 2012, Friday, 8:15 A.M. Have a conversation with N.Y. County District Attorney Cyrus Vance. New York Law School's CityLaw's breakfast series. 185 West Broadway (betw. Worth and Leonard Sts.), Manhattan. Free.

6th October, 2012, Saturday, 5 o'clock P.M. on. The Brooklyn Museum of Art's First Saturday Night. Subway, 7th Ave. B'way IRT exp. #2 and #3 to Eastern Parkway, and you exit right at the entrance. Free.

[MTK (more to come)]

This information is supplied as a public service, and does not necessarily comprise an endorsement of the identified activity, candidate, charity, club, meeting, organization, or topic. All information is believed to be accurate as of the original publication date of this posting.

The 2012 Democratic 1st Dist. Judicial Convention

By Alan Flacks (212) 840+1234 The 2012 Democratic Party’s judicial nominating convention for the First Judicial District (New York County), held on Monday, 24th September, brought few surprises although it wasn’t certain who would be the victorious candidates even on the morning of the convention. Horse trading and palavering went on for a week or so before that evening, when candidates and their handlers estimated their relative strengths and pledged delegate numbers. The eventual winners for the four 1st District vacancies on the State trial bench were, in the order nominated, Saliann Scarpulla, Shlomo Hagler, George Silver, and Manny Mendez, all Civil Court Judges and “acting” Supremes. Anil Singh, considered by many to be the brightest and best of the candidates, and Debra James were the other two of the viable six contenders. The convention itself, orchestrated Soviet-style, was a dog-and-pony show. All the fifteen candidates—ten from this year’s secret screening panel and five “2/4” candidates (previously selected by two prior panels in the last four consecutive years)—were nominated with lovely speeches, seconded, and then the “losing” candidates spoke and withdrew essentially acknowledging “It’s not my year” or a Dodger “wait till next year.” All candidates were obsequious to the county leader. Many delegates were certainly not Reformers because they wore multiple hats by also holding public office or Party position, and a good number of alternate delegates failed to show. Once again, county leader Keith Wright was not a player. He supported Many Mendez for the Washington Heights/Inwood Dominicans and other Latinos, and backed Shlomo Hagler at the behest of his “boss,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (for which it is rumored that Silver will make Wright the chair of the important Assembly Housing Committee), while abandoning the only Black Harlem candidate, Debra James. Silver and Espaillat/Linares got theirs while Keith backed down. Afterward there was a reception, a recent tradition, at a local restaurant to which all were invited to attend, and which was given by the four winning candidates. The seventeen applicants to the screening panel we hear say are (those ten reported marked with a double asterisk): Nancy Marie Bannon,**-- Debra James,**-- James d’Auguste,-- Arlene Bluth,**-- Margaret Chan,-- Shlomo Hagler,**-- Lori Satler,**-- Tanya Kennedy,-- Andrea Masley,**-- Peter Moulton,**-- Kathryn Freed,**-- Frank Nervo,-- Ruth Pickholz,**-- Barbara Jaffe,**-- Victoria Kummer,-- Raymond Bruce,-- Lynn Kotler,-- These ten reported this year were joined as candidates by five who were reported previously twice in the past four consecutive years: Anil Singh,-- George Silver,-- Saliann Scarpulla,-- Manuel Mendez,-- Arthur Engoron.