Manhattan Democrat Hoylman Selected to Be New NY Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
The position will give Hoylman wide-ranging power over appointments to the judiciary that require a vote in the Senate and legislation that impacts the state's court system.
December 11, 2018 at 11:27 AM
3 minute read
State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, will serve as the next chairman of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Democratic Conference announced Tuesday morning.
The position will give Hoylman wide-ranging power over appointments to the judiciary that require a vote in the Senate and legislation that impacts the state's court system.
It's the first time a Democrat will chair the committee since former Sen. John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, chaired the committee in 2010. It's also the first time a member of the LGBT community will hold the post.
Hoylman is currently the highest-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Sen. John Bonacic, R-Orange. Republicans lost majority control of the State Senate in this year's general election when Democrats flipped eight seats in the chamber. Democrats now hold a firm majority.
Republicans will now have to choose who will lead their conference on the Judiciary Committee. Bonacic chose not to seek re-election earlier this year and the conference has not announced its picks for committee leaders.
Hoylman's new position will afford him more power to advance legislation directly affecting the state's court system. That legislation more often involves changes to the state's civil practice law rather than criminal procedure law, which is typically amended by the chairman of the Senate Codes Committee. State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, D-Bronx, was selected to head that committee.
The position is not always hands-off when it comes to criminal justice issues, especially when it comes to the administration of the state's courts. The committee is known to handle legislation that affects court employees, such as court officers, who work in the state's criminal courts. Hoylman has also introduced a bill that would allow jury trials for low-level misdemeanors in New York City, which is currently not mandated.
Hoylman, who was first elected to the State Senate in 2012, has been known to be outspoken when it comes to issues involving the judiciary, the environment, human rights, gun control and government ethics.
He sponsored a bill during the last legislative session that would have capped the amount of income lawmakers are allowed to earn outside of their government salary. That concept was recently adopted by a special committee tasked with regulating the pay of lawmakers. He's held positions as the ranking Democrat on the Government Operations and Environmental Conservation committees as well.
Hoylman said in a statement following his appointment that his position will be an important check on federal involvement in the court system.
“The issue of equal access to justice and judicial independence couldn't be more important as Trump continues his all-out assault on our court system,” Hoylman said. “I'm extremely honored to have been named Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee by incoming Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and helping lead the charge to protect the rights of all New Yorkers.”
READ MORE:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllDeal Watch: Latham, Skadden, Covington, Troutman, Fried Frank and Davis Polk Lead $10B+ Deals
8 minute readTrending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250