A Brooklyn judge handing out cushy positions to connected lawyers proves that corruption is still alive and well in the city court system, despite reforms put in place in the early aughts.<\/p>\n
From 2022 to \u201924, The Post reported last week, Brooklyn Judge Lawrence Knipel handed out 881 fiduciary appointments<\/a> to 25 lawyers who\u2019d donated $25,000 in total to his wife, Democratic district leader Lori Knipel.<\/p>\n These gigs typically mean overseeing the assets of businesses, the elderly or the cognitively impaired; they usually yield lawyers ample rewards for minimal effort \u2014 which makes them prime patronage. though they\u2019re supposed to be doled out based on merit.<\/p>\n As the only state where county party committees tap nominees for local judgeships, with zero input from the public, New York is primed for such corruption \u2014 especially in areas, like most of the city, where one party is overwhelmingly dominant so elections are a foregone conclusion.<\/p>\n Cue a noxious back-scratching circle: Lawyers donate to politicians, pols pick judges, and dutiful jurists grant sweet receivership or conservatorship roles to the palm-greasing lawyers.<\/p>\n Too bad if vulnerable clients (whether aging or disabled) get sub-par representation \u2014 or even have their assets looted by an attorney who basically bought his way onto their case.<\/p>\n Rank courthouse corruption throughout the 1990s<\/a>, especially in Brooklyn, came to a head when Kings County bosses were caught squeezing judicial candidates for $50,000 a pop <\/a>in exchange for nominations.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet opinions and commentary from our columnists\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n That prompted state Chief Judge Judith Kaye\u2019s early 2000s reforms<\/a>, which tried to quash this corrupt patronage machine by limiting party leaders\u2019 ability to get their political pals on the bench.<\/p>\n Tried, but plainly failed: Today\u2019s sleaze isn\u2019t limited to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n