By Daniel Wiessner
ALBANY, N.Y., Nov 13 (Reuters) - Candidates for the New York
Court of Appeals seat of retiring Judge Carmen Ciparick will
also be considered for the vacancy created by the sudden death
of Judge Theodore Jones, officials said.
The state Commission on Judicial Nomination said on Monday
that it will soon begin soliciting applications to fill Jones's
seat, and will include applicants for the Ciparick vacancy in
the process.
Jones, 68, died last week of an apparent heart attack. He
was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2007 and was the fourth
black judge in the court's history.
Ciparick, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of
70, will step down Dec. 31. She has served on the high court
since 1993.
The retirement of Ciparick, who is Puerto Rican, will leave
the court without any minority judges.
In August, the commission, which is comprised of attorneys
and retired judges, extended the deadline for applications for
Ciparick's seat because fewer people had expressed interest than
expected. It will submit a list of candidates by Dec. 1 to
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who must fill Ciparick's seat between
Jan. 1 and Jan. 15.
Cuomo will receive a list of candidates for Jones's seat by
March 7, the commission said, and he will have until early April
to fill the seat.
Cuomo, who was elected in 2010, will have the opportunity to
name at least four judges to the high court during his first
term. Judge Robert Smith must retire at the end of 2014, and
Judge Victoria Graffeo's first term on the court will expire
that year.
If Cuomo is re-elected in 2014, he will be the first
governor since his father, Mario Cuomo, to have the opportunity
to appoint the entire court.
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