Democrat Judicial Convention Taps Six Judges for November Ballot
Winning the nomination at the Manhattan Democratic Judicial Convention on Aug. 10, generally means the candidates will glide to an easy win on November 3, since Republicans generally never run anyone in opposition.
| 13 Aug 2026 | 02:29
The Democratic Judicial Convention on Aug. 10 nominated six judges who will likely be heading to New York Court house at 60 Centre Street after the November 3 election. (
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The 2026 Manhattan Democrat Judicial Convention is over.
Candidates seeking a judgeship never officially campaign in the traditional sense, but that does not mean that the process is devoid of intrigues leading up to the convention. That’s because securing a nomination at the Aug. 10 convention is a virtual guarantee to win the Nov. 3 election since the Republican Party traditionally does not nominate an opponent. A Manhattan Supreme Court judge serves 14 years and may seek re-nomination to the position which presides over criminal and civil cases.
East Side Judges Nick Moyne and Andrea Krugman were among the 20 judges who sought this year’s nominations and then suddenly dropped out.
The seats for the first and second judicial vacancies went to Hasa Kingo and Kathleen Waterman-Marshall unopposed.
The third judicial vacancy was contested--there was a floor fight-- between Judges Christopher Chin and Ilana Marcus. Chin won. So Kingo, Waterman-Marshall, and Chin will appear on the November 3 ballot. Marcus will be a contender for the next open seat or vacancy.
Three Incumbent Judges, Shlomo S. Hagler, Manuel Mendez, and Saliann Scarpulla, were all re-nominated for First Dept. Appellate Division seats.
Introductions included County Leader Keith L.T. Wright and the evening’s proceedings were led by Judiciary Co-Chairs Rebecca Weintraub and Curtis Arluck.
There were also plenty of local elected officials who dropped in during the course of the convention which was held at the School of Visual Arts on West 23rd Street. Among the electeds on hand: East Side City council member Virginia Maloney, West Side NYS Senator Erik Bottcher, lower East Side Council Member Chris Marte, and the UES’s Vanessa Aronson, who is expected to be unopposed on the November ballot in the 73rd Assembly District to replace Alex Bores.
Others present included former Judge Kathryn Freed, Lex Club District Leaders Russell Squire and Meryl Brodsky. Four Freedoms District Leaders Kim Moscaritolo, Gabe Panek, Former DL Frank Wilkinson. John Bartos. Linda Porto. Ruth Halberg. Tilden Democratic Club District Leader Michelle Winfield.,Steven W. Smollens. Charles Sturcken.
Other notables included UWSers Stephanie Lasher, mother of newly nominated C12 Congress candidate Micah Lasher; Judy Bader York, and Joan Dean. And especially proud to be there were retired judges George Silver and Arthur Engoron, who presided over the fraud trial of Donald Trump. Hasa Kingo was Judge Silver’s court attorney. Kathleen Waterman-Marshall was Judge Engoron’s court attorney.
As for the protocols for getting into the Judicial Convention: I heard that the order for entry is Delegates, Alternates, Judge candidates, press and the public. This night there were nine new judge candidates and 3 incumbents. Several rows are designated for the press and public. Otherwise, seating is arranged for each of the 76 Assembly Districts that will cast votes for the candidates. Some AD’s vote in bloc (all votes for one candidate) but in others the vote can be splintered as individual delegates cast their vote for a candidate. The decision is at the discretion of each assembly district.).
That’s it for this year. Stay tuned for any vacancies or openings in the judiciary in 2027.