Rowan Wilson appointed 1st Black judge to lead New York’s highest court

Judge Wilson’s long career journey kicked off in the 1990s when he joined one of the most renowned law firms in the nation and quickly rose to become its first Black partner.

Rowan Wilson has been named the chief judge of New York‘s highest court, making him the first Black judge to occupy the position.

The New York State Senate on Tuesday approved, by a vote of 40 to 19, the liberal jurist’s elevation from associate to chief judge of the state’s Court of Appeals, according to The New York Times. The chief judge oversees the state’s court system, which has 16,000 personnel and an annual budget of $3 billion, in addition to presiding over cases before the Court of Appeals, which has been among the nation’s most influential in the past.

Wilson’s long career journey kicked off in the 1990s, when he joined one of the most renowned law firms in the nation and quickly rose to the position of first Black partner. He has distinguished himself since 2017 as a significant liberal voice on the Court of Appeals, where he has helped advance the rights of workers and criminal defendants.

He also authored numerous dissents against the court’s more conservative decisions.

“Judge Wilson will bring honor to our court and will help lead our court in a new direction that will stand up for all New Yorkers,” State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins said on the chamber floor. The Democratic majority leader described the court as “crucial in securing our most basic freedoms.”

Senate Democrats opposed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s initial nominee, Justice Hector D. LaSalle, claiming he was too conservative, the Times reported, while Republican critics have portrayed Wilson as too liberal. State Sen. Anthony H. Palumbo called him “an activist judge acting in a way that is contrary to common sense and the law.”

Hochul proposed Caitlin Halligan, a private attorney and former state solicitor general, to take Wilson’s place on the court, whose seven associates serve 14-year terms. Halligan was nominated repeatedly by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit while he was in office.

During a three-hour Tuesday hearing, Halligan — viewed as more moderate than Wilson — provided testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. She received acclaim for her credentials from both Democrats and Republicans, the Times reported, but her confirmation could encounter a roadblock.

Republicans in the Senate may file a lawsuit challenging the validity of Hochul’s method of nominating two candidates for the court. In accordance with that law, Hochul chose Wilson and Halligan from the same list of chief judge contenders compiled by a special panel, avoiding a drawn-out selection process to fill the additional position.

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