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By: EFE Updated 12 Dec 2022, 12: 80 am EST
A coalition of Latino lawyer organizations sent a letter to New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in defense of the appointment of Héctor LaSalle, of Puerto Rican origin, as administrative judge of the Court of Appeals, the highest judicial forum in the state.
Hector LaSalle is the Chief Judge of the State Court of Appeals in Brooklyn and is among seven candidates for the position of chief judge of New York who have been recommended to Hochul by a judiciary nominating committee to fill the vacancy arose after the resignation of Judge Janet DiFiore, which was effective last August, said a statement.
The nominee for Governor Hochul must be confirmed by the state Senate, with a Democratic majority, and the chosen one is in charge of the entire system state judicial ema, with more than 1,80 state judges, about 1,800 judges of towns and villages and more than 19, non-judicial employees and a budget of $3 billion dollars.
The Queens Hispanic Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, the Dominican Bar Association, the The Long Island Hispanic Lawyers Association and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Lawyers Association sent Hochul a letter for the second time, in support of Lasalle for the important position and in defense of the judge before what they called “personal attacks” against the performance of his work, “which are not accurate”.
They point out in the letter that Judge LaSalle “shares the values and mission of the bar associations and the aspires ations of our Latino communities for empowerment and equal justice.”
Remember that if he were elected, he would be the first Latino to lead the state court system “and would represent significant progress in our ‘Fight’ (who write in Spanish) as Latino bar associations”.
They also highlight that he has worked tirelessly as a trial judge and appellate judge for almost fourteen years.
“After an evaluation of all candidates on their record, character, temperament, professional aptitude, experience, and qualification for office, andPresiding Justice LaSalle was selected by the Commission on Appointments as one of the seven best qualified candidates for the position , also recall in the letter to the governor.
The governor has until 19 of December to choose from among the seven candidates that were recommended to you last November. Last week, la Trial Lawyers Association, one of the most influential legal organizations in the state, sent the governor its four recommendations, among which is Judge LaSalle.
2022