On the day before Thanksgiving, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg carved two hours out of his schedule to interview eight candidates for Criminal and Family Court.

“We are a nation of laws, and the independence of the judiciary is a bedrock of our society,” Mr. Bloomberg said in an e-mail to the Law Journal. “It is a principle on which this nation was founded and essential to the success of our country. So appointing the highest quality individuals to the bench is a responsibility I take very seriously.”