{"id":342669,"date":"2026-09-10T09:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T09:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/342669\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T09:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T09:22:16","slug":"the-battle-for-the-brooklyn-democratic-party-goes-to-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/342669\/","title":{"rendered":"The Battle for the Brooklyn Democratic Party Goes to Court"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reformers faced off against the Brooklyn Democratic Party<\/a> establishment in New York State Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon with the future of the county\u2019s political party hanging in the balance.<\/p>\n

Before a courtroom packed with supporters and critics of current party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn<\/a> alike, both camps made their case to Judge Jill Epstein, who was elevated to the state bench with the party\u2019s blessing earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are looking at is an issue of a subversion of democracy,\u201d argued Mark Hanna, an election lawyer representing the reformers and a longtime district leader aligned with New Kings Democrats.<\/p>\n

MORE: Brooklyn Dem Chief Narrowly Prevails in Divisive Vote to Change Party Rules<\/a><\/p>\n

\"MarkMark Hanna, a district leader and election attorney representing reformers who sued the Brooklyn Democratic Party, speaks to reporters after a State Supreme Court hearing, Sept. 3, 2026. Credit: Gwynne Hogan\/The City Reporter<\/p>\n

The contentious legal fight comes in the wake of the June primary, when reformers aligned with New Kings Democrats flipped enough district leader seats to be able to select a new party chair, after nearly two decades of organizing against the party establishment. They\u2019d lined up behind a longtime district leader from Sunset Park, Julio Pe\u00f1a III<\/a>, who runs afterschool programming in his day job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

District leaders are unpaid elected positions who vote to select a leader of the county\u2019s party every two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But before the newly elected district leaders could vote, current party chair Bichotte Hermelyn convened a meeting of the outgoing district leaders<\/a>, pushing forth a series of changes to the party\u2019s rules that added dozens of new voting members to the executive committee.<\/p>\n

The expanded committee would make the New Kings Democrats newfound majority irrelevant by the time the party picks a chair later this fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MORE: Reformers Blast \u2018Audacious Power Grab\u2019 by Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair<\/a><\/p>\n

The rules changes drew the condemnation<\/a> of every major Democrat in the state, from Governor Kathy Hochul to state Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs.<\/p>\n

Reformers sued<\/a>, arguing the vote was an illegal power grab that violates election law and the party\u2019s bylaws. They point to one part of election law<\/a> that says district leaders \u201cshall hold office until the next election at which members of the committee are elected,\u201d arguing that the outgoing district leaders had no authority to vote to change party rules once the primary took place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey cannot vote on rules changes because they do not have the authority to vote,\u201d Hanna said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He pointed to a 2024 appellate court ruling<\/a> in a lawsuit brought by Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs in Manhattan. In that case, the court overturned a vote taken by outgoing members of the leadership committee to install new district leaders, a party chair and a secretary. The vote took place after the primary, and the court found that outgoing members could no longer \u201cexercise functions in substantial matters<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But attorneys for the Brooklyn Democratic Party point to another section<\/a> of the law, that says that until the new district leaders take their seats at the county committee meeting, \u201cthe existing county committee shall exercise all legal authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA screenshot form a video in which Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn defended the controversial rule changes. Credit: Brooklyn Democratic Party via X<\/a><\/p>\n

The county committee meeting, which by law must occur between Sept. 17 and Oct. 6, used to take place on the heels of a September primary, but now happens months after the primary, which was moved to June in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had the legal authority when they acted as they did,\u201d argued attorney Amy Beth Marion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marion offered a more sedate appearance than that of Anthony Genovesi, a longtime lawyer for the Brooklyn Democratic Party who had appeared twice before Judge Epstein last week, often drawing the judge\u2019s ire for repeatedly interrupting her<\/a> and other people in the courtroom, raising his voice and lurching to his feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In some ways, the political power struggle echoes a struggle for Black political power<\/a> in Brooklyn, as communities across the city have rapidly gentrified. Bichotte Hermelyn has been quick to lean in that narrative.<\/p>\n

In an interview with NY1<\/a> ahead of the vote last month, she listed a number of people who\u2019d condemned her proposed rule changes including State Assemblymember Bobby Carroll, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, Councilmember Lincoln Restler and congressional candidate Brad Lander<\/a>. \u201cWhat\u2019s in common? White men. White men who are agitated\u2026\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t accept that and the Black community certainly don\u2019t accept that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DistrictDistrict Leader Julio Pe\u00f1a III speaks on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall about his support to lead the borough\u2019s Democratic party, Aug. 24, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/The City Reporter<\/p>\n

But reformers point to a diverse slate of incoming district leaders including several newly-elected Black leaders who aren\u2019t satisfied with the status quo. At a press conference last week, Akwasi Agyeman, one of those incoming district leaders aligned with New Kings Democrats, spoke about having to fend off a legal challenge from the county establishment to keep his place on the ballot. \u201cI had to fight off this lady who tried to sue me,\u201d he said. \u201cI look like you, and I\u2019m from Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reformers argue Brooklynites are eager to move past years of petty corruption<\/a> and favor-trading that have marred the party, capped off by Mayor Eric Adams\u2019s one term as mayor, which he won with the enthusiastic backing of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Tuesday\u2019s hearing concluded, a group of Brooklyn Democratic Party supporters \u2014 mostly older Black men and women \u2014 chanted \u201cwe are the community\u201d as they walked out together. Anthony Jones, a district leader who voted with Bichotte Hermelyn, led the march down the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that all the representatives of the community by increasing the numbers we\u2019re going to be able to get stay-at-home moms, stay-at-home dads, senior citizens, people from different ethnicities and different backgrounds,\u201d Jones said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/a> \u2018Double Squeeze\u2019: New York Safety Net Frays Amid SNAP and Medicaid Cuts<\/a><\/p>\n

A longtime Bichotte Hermelyn ally, Jones previously conceded<\/a> that members of his political club had submitted forged signatures on filings seeking to boot opponents of Bichotte Hermelyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I want to say to New Kings Democrats, \u2018Respect Mommy,\u201d he said, referring to Bichotte Hermelyn.<\/p>\n

Several of the people leaving court said they\u2019d gotten a call from their district leader asking them to show up in court, with little explanation of what they were attending. One woman who declined to give her name said she\u2019d gotten a call from someone in Bichotte Hermelyn\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to come to the meeting. They didn\u2019t give us no details,\u201d the woman said. She\u2019d arrived after the courtroom was full and waited outside and said she wasn\u2019t sure what had happened. \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn didn\u2019t appear in court for three consecutive appearances and hasn\u2019t spoken to reporters about the vote since absconding out the back door<\/a> of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Mill Basin last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Democratic district leaders met inside the Thomas Jefferson Club in Mill Basin to vote on changing bylaws for electing the borough\u2019s party chair, Aug. 25, 2026. Credit: Katie Honan\/The City Reporter<\/p>\n

Instead, she\u2019s released a series<\/a> of video<\/a> messages<\/a> defending the rules change as a way to democratize leadership of the party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the rules changes add many new seats to the executive committee, they would be voted on through the county committee, of which Bichotte Hermelyn controls hundreds of proxy votes, meaning she could easily select a slate of dozens of new executive committee members, more than doubling the current number of existing district leaders, reformers argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the last county committee meeting in 2024, Bichotte Hermelyn and her allies held more than 600 proxy votes, while New Kings Democrats and their allies held around 200, records kept by New Kings Democrats shared with The City Reporter show.<\/p>\n

In latest video message<\/a>, Bichotte Hermelyn dunked on New Kings Democrats, declaring \u201cy\u2019all have been out-organized again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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