{"id":316345,"date":"2026-08-07T21:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316345\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:38:49","slug":"brooklyn-democrats-nominate-four-judges-for-state-supreme-court-at-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316345\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Democrats nominate four judges for state Supreme Court at convention"},"content":{"rendered":"

The nominees will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. In all, 170 judicial delegates selected the four nominees through a vote held at the Marine Park Golf Course before a crowd of roughly 250 attendees, according to the Brooklyn Democratic Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the roles of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee is to select candidates to run for Civil Court<\/a> and the New York State Supreme Court. The process involves extensive vetting and approval, including meetings with district leaders and a review of each candidate\u2019s qualifications before the candidates are presented to the County Committee Body for a vote. Typically, this vote takes place after each candidate participates in a judicial candidate forum that is open to the public and to voters from the candidate\u2019s respective district.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a report by Legal Clarity<\/a>, the NY Supreme Court has a keen and attentive election process unlike any other judicial election. It utilizes a nominating convention rather than a standard primary election. Rather than voters electing these judges in a primary election, Judicial Delegates vote to nominate the judges to the ballot at the convention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judicial Delegates are significant because they can make sure voter preferences are represented in the nominating process. The report further noted that\u00a0\u201cthe convention system dates back to a 1921 change in the Election Law that replaced direct primaries for these seats with party-run nominating conventions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea was that a group of locally elected party representatives would vet candidates more carefully than a low-turnout primary could. In practice, the system concentrates selection power in a relatively small deliberative body rather than the general electorate,\u201d said the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\""Fortunately\u201cFortunately for us as residents of Kings County and Democratic members of the party, we do have the opportunity to vote for judges,\u201d said District Leader Josue Pierre of the 42nd Assembly District, in an interview.\u00a0Photo by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n

But the Brooklyn Democratic Party sees the election of judges as vital to protecting the courts\u2019 integrity.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past decades, we have seen a degradation of our judicial system on the federal level where we don\u2019t have the opportunity to vote for who actually gets to be our judges on that Supreme Court.\u00a0 And we see what it has done to our rights across this county. Fortunately for us as residents of Kings County and Democratic members of the party, we do have the opportunity to vote for judges,\u201d said District Leader Josue Pierre <\/a>of the 42nd Assembly District, in an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

District leaders have an important role in selecting judges as representatives of their constituents, which further echoes the report findings.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI take a lot of pride personally with my club and the 42nd Assembly District, when we have candidates that do come and meet with the people, connect with them, share their stories and have a common bond with the community,\u201d Pierre added prior to casting his vote for the candidate of his respective district.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The judicial delegates cast their votes in support of Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, Hon. Lola Waterman, Hon. Hemalee Patel, and Hon. Sherveal Mimes. Prior to the convention, each of these candidates had the opportunity to contest their candidacy at the Brooklyn Democratic Party\u2019s virtual candidate forum<\/a> on July 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur courts are the bedrock of our community, and the people of Kings County deserve justices who lead with unshakeable integrity and profound legal insight,\u201d said Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. \u201cI am incredibly proud to champion this phenomenal slate of candidates, knowing they will bring a deep commitment to equal justice and fiercely protect the rights of every Brooklynite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cOur courts are the bedrock of our community, and the people of Kings County deserve justices who lead with unshakeable integrity and profound legal insight,\u201d said Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.Photo by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n

The nominees expressed gratitude to the party leadership and the committee for approving their candidacies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They included Waterman, a highly experienced legal professional and community advocate with a diverse, robust background in estate planning, immigration, and elder law. She took office as a judge for the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Hon. Lola WatermanPhoto by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n

Waterman earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School after completing her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, and currently serves as a board member for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, alongside her involvement with the Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo all of the district leaders, judicial delegates, alternate delegates, thank you for all that you do.\u201d said Waterman, in her speech\u00a0after her confirmed nomination.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mimes has been on the Kings County Civil Court bench for five years and has built a strong reputation for fairness, efficiency, and judicial integrity, according to the Democratic Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Hon. Sherveal MimesPhoto by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand and I know that this endorsement and nomination process requires a lot of your time, your thoughts, it means listening to your communities and your delegates, it means accessing the qualifications and experiences of many of us who were\u00a0presenting ourselves for this nomination,\u201d Mimes said.<\/p>\n

Jean-Jacques brings nearly two decades of dedicated legal experience to the bench. She officially assumed office as a judge of the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024. She is an active and respected leader in the local legal community, notably serving as the president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County.<\/p>\n

\"\"Hon. Betsey Jean-JacquesPhoto by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the daughter of a Haitian immigrant. I cannot express how blessed I feel and how happy I am that you chose to support me,\u201d Jean-Jacques said. \u201cIn today\u2019s climate, to be a Haitian child of first Haitian immigrant when sometimes not everybody gets to dream, and today I am living that dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Patel \u2014 born in India and raised in New York City \u2014 was first seated on the Civil Court bench in Kings County in 2025. She previously served as a court attorney-referee on Staten Island, and received her judicial degree from Brooklyn Law School.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such an amazing display of democracy of work and I am so honored to be a part of it. I am so honored by this nomination,\u201d said Patel.\u00a0
\n\"\"Hon. Hemalee PatelPhoto by Orlande Fleury<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The nominees will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. In all, 170 judicial delegates selected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[20342,98,18390,119292,100,99,106463,119293,119294,119295,119296,93140,119297,119298,9,24,1181,19172,63,17961,119299],"class_list":["post-316345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-betsey-jean-jacques","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-democratic-party","tag-brooklyn-elections-2026","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-civil-court-judges","tag-democratic-party-nominations","tag-hemalee-patel","tag-judicial-delegates","tag-judicial-nominating-convention","tag-judicial-selection-process","tag-kings-county-politics","tag-lola-waterman","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-courts","tag-new-york-state-supreme-court","tag-nyc","tag-rodneyse-bichotte-hermelyn","tag-sherveal-mimes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}