Though the top-of-the-ballot governor’s race may be dominating New Yorkers’ attention during the 2026 election, Queens voters taking to the polls over the next two weeks will find a competitive election at the bottom of their ballots as well: Five judicial candidates vying for three seats on the Queens Supreme Civil Court bench. 

Here’s a look at those competing to rule on legal disputes over property disputes, breaches of contract, personal injury suits, contested divorce proceedings and controversial actions the city and other local officials take in Queens before early voting opens on Oct. 24 for the Nov. 3 General Election. 

Democratic Candidates

Candidates Julie Milner, Jasmine Valle-Bueno and Edmond Wong are running on the Democratic ballot line.

Julie Milner
Julie Milner, a Democratic judicial candidate for Queens Supreme Civil Court.

Julie Milner is considered an insurgent and occasionally controversial candidate in the race who did not receive the backing of the Queens County Democratic Party or the approval of the New York City Bar Association. She has been a pro bono arbitrator for the Attorney Fee Dispute Resolution Program in Queens Civil Court since 2012 and a founder and managing attorney of small civil and constitutional law firm Milner Law Office.

The Queens Daily Eagle previously reported that Milner has seemingly tweeted conspiracy theories from her X account, including anti-vaccine rhetoric, messages that called for ex-President Joe Biden’s execution, and reposted messages from right-wing accounts with transphobic, anti-LGBT, and antisemitic rhetoric. She has previously run unsuccessfully for the judicial seat, but edged out two other candidates in the June primary with 27% of the vote. 

Previously a social worker, researcher for the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being and reporter for a martial arts magazine, Milner wore quite a few hats before getting a law degree from the City University of New York in 2008. 

Milner has also been a social studies teacher in New York City’s public schools (from 2016-2020) and a professor and dissertation advisor at Long Island University, one of her seven alma maters, (since 2020), been a member of Queens Community Board Six and on the Queens Civic Engagement Committee under Borough President Donovan Richards. Collectively, Milner says her experiences in and out of the courtroom have left her with a desire to improve equitable and accessible access to justice, including expanding language and translation services.

Milner says she’s running to bring legal expertise and educational leadership to the courts as a lifelong professor, researcher, scholar, and practitioner of constitutional law. She also says she “believes that a judge’s role is not just to interpret the law, but to ensure that justice is accessible and transparent for all.”

Endorsements: City Council Member Phil Wong (R-Middle Village) and former City Council Member Robert Holden (D-Maspeth), the Roosevelt Democratic Club and the New York Democratic Club. She is also endorsed by the East Elmhurst Corona Democrats, which is led by former state senator Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the legislative body after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault against his then-girlfriend.  

Jasmine Valle-Bueno
Jasmine Valle-Bueno, a Democratic judicial candidate for Queens Supreme Civil Court.

Jasmine Valle-Bueno has over a decade of legal experience across a wide swath of the court system. Currently a senior court attorney to a Queens Supreme Court administrative judge, she’s spent the past nine years as a public servant in various court attorney positions across the borough’s and city’s courts. 

Previously, she was a senior principal law clerk in the Appellate Division, Second Department, a principal law clerk in Queens Supreme Civil Court, a senior court attorney in Criminal Court and a court attorney in Housing Court.

Valle-Bueno has received the approval of the New York City Bar Association, designated “qualified” for judicial office by the Queens County Bar Association and been deemed “highly approved” by the LGBT Bar Association. Technical election filing rules meant she did not run in the June Democratic primary.

Prior to her public service work in the court system, Valle-Bueno spent three years as a lead staff attorney at the Legal Empowerment and Assistance Program, a legal services initiative to provide counsel to NYC tenants facing eviction and other housing issues, as well as two years as a judicial intern in the Family Law space for Family Law Clinic and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. 

The Queens native says she wants to bring her wide-ranging experience in criminal, civil, housing and family law in trial and appellate courts to the bench with “a sincere dedication to making a meaningful impact.” She says she’s “consistently worked to uplift and empower the communities she serves” and that “her service is guided by integrity, inclusivity.”

Endorsements: U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-7), Grace Meng (D-NY-6), Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, state Sens. John Liu (D-Flushing), Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Bayside), Leroy Comrie (D-Hollis), Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights), Joseph Addabbo (D-Ozone Park), Assembly Members Nily Rozic, Andrew Hevesi, Lorena Hooks, Steven Raga (D-Astoria), Jennifer Rajkumar, Catalina Cruz, Khaleel Andrerson, David Weprin and Clyde Vanel, Council Members Jennifer Gutierrez, Shekar Krishnan, Linda lee, Selvena Brooks-Powers and Latin Democrats NYC.

Edmond Wong
Edmond Wong, a Democratic judicial candidate for Queens Supreme Civil Court.

Edmond Wong is the sole candidate to have both won a place on the ballot via the June Democratic primary and to receive an “approved” rating from the New York City Bar Association. He is currently a court attorney-referee in Queens County Surrogate’s Court, a role that can look quite similar to that of a judge.   

As a court attorney-referee, Wong assists Judge Cassandra A. Johnson with cases involving complex estate matters and is licensed to conduct hearings, manage pretrial conferences and help write judicial orders. 

Previously, he served as an associate court attorney in Queens Civil Court, a role he says offered him valuable experience in the court he now seeks to serve as a judge in. Wong also litigated real property and guardianship cases in state and federal court in private practice for years before turning to public service.

Wong says he’s running to bring knowledge from multiple angles of the law – as an advocate, a court attorney, and a quasi-judicial officer – to the bench and ensure that “justice in New York City works for everyone.” 

He says his experience as a lifelong New Yorker, NYC public school graduate, first-generation American and son of Hong Kong immigrants guides his values and everyday work. If elected, he says he “will bring experience and an unwavering commitment to equal justice under the law” and “will treat every person who enters his courtroom with dignity and respect.”

Endorsements: U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5), Grace Meng (D-NY-6), Tom Suozzi (D-NY-3), state Sens. John Liu (D-Flushing), Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights), Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Bayside), Leroy Comrie (D-Hollis), Assembly Members Edward Braunstein, Nily Rozec, Sam Berger, Sam Weprin, Alicia L. Hyndman, Larinda C. Hooks, Council Members Sandra Ung, Linda Lee, Julie Won, District Leaders David Fischer, Debra Markell Kleinert, Alexander Hart, Keith Felsenfeld, Theodore Kasapis and the Jefferson Democratic Club.

Republican Candidates

Candidates Thomas Barra and Michal Mossa are running on the Republican and Conservative ballot lines.

Thomas Barra
Thomas Barra, a Republican judicial candidate for Queens Supreme Civil Court.

Thomas Barra has nearly thirty years of experience as a Queens-based criminal defense attorney. He currently works as a trial attorney at The Law Offices of Sanjay Sukhdeo, a Jamaica and Forest Hills-based firm where he represents clients facing homicide, drug offenses, assault, DWI and other charges in state and federal court, according to the firm’s website.

Barra received a “not approved” rating from the New York City Bar Association when he unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2025. He did not receive an updated rating from the association this year because the Republican judicial primary was not held in June due to a lack of candidates, but his previous rating carries over into this year. 

Barra seemingly runs an Instagram account under the handle @lawyersgunswhiskey where he posts short, frequently front-facing videos offering legal advice or responding to commonly held legal questions, like whether police can lie during an investigation and how to handle orders of protection in criminal court. 

The Queens defense attorney does not appear to have a campaign website or a publicly posted platform. amNewYork Law will update this story with additional information if provided. 

Endorsements: amNewYork Law cannot find any record of Barra receiving political endorsement in this race. This story will be updated with additional information if provided.

Michael Mossa

Michael Mossa, a Queens criminal defense attorney with over two decades of experience and an unsuccessful former Republican Queens district attorney candidate, is trying his hand at running for elected office again.

Mossa unsuccessfully challenged Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in 2023 and previously ran for City Council seats in Howard Beach and the Rockaways. He received a “not approved” rating from the New York City Bar Association during that 2023 campaign and has not been re-evaluated since. The Queens Ledger previously reported that Mossa said he disagrees with plans to close Rikers Island and believes petty crime, like shoplifting, should be prosecuted with the same intensity as domestic violence cases. 

Online records show he runs a firm called Mossa and Associates, though it does not appear to have a website.

Mossa does not appear to have a campaign website or a publicly posted platform for his judicial candidacy. amNewYork Law will update this story with additional information if provided.

Endorsements: amNewYork Law cannot find any record of Mossa receiving political endorsement in this race. This story will be updated with additional information if provided.