By Jessica Dye and Daniel Wiessner
NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - As New Yorkers struggle to
recover from Sandy, residents on Tuesday will hit the polls to
cast their votes in 30 state Supreme Court races and in a number
of local judicial elections. At least 143,000 voters in New York
City have been assigned to new polling places as a result of
flooding or power outages caused by the monster storm.
Here are some of the races to watch in the state's four
Appellate Division departments, each of which is comprised of
several judicial districts.
FIRST DEPARTMENT (which includes Manhattan and the Bronx)
* In the Bronx, two candidates are vying to replace Surrogate
Court Judge Lee Holzman. Holzman, who has reached the mandatory
retirement age of 70, is facing misconduct charges brought by
the state judicial conduct commission for allegedly failing to
fire a lawyer in his court who billed thousands of dollars in
advance fees before performing any work. He has denied any
wrongdoing. The candidates seeking Holzman's seat are Democrat Nelida
Malave-Gonzalez, a Bronx Civil Court judge and acting Supreme
Court justice, and Republican Frances O'Leary, a retired
attorney.
* There are no contested elections in Manhattan, where four
candidates are on the ballot to fill four seats on the Supreme
Court. Justices are elected to 14-year terms.
SECOND DEPARTMENT (which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Staten
Island, Long Island, and five other counties
* Twelve candidates -- an equal number of Republicans and
Democrats -- are vying for six Supreme Court seats in Long
Island's 10th Judicial District, which covers Nassau and Suffolk
counties. Of those competing, two candidates sit on the Appellate
Division, Second Department: Justices Peter Skelos and Leonard
Austin. While Appellate Division justices are appointed from a
statewide pool of elected Supreme Court justices, they must seek
re-election when their Supreme Court terms expire. Justice James
Catterson, who was elected to the Supreme Court in Suffolk
County and sits in the First Department, is also a 10th District
candidate.
* In the 9th Judicial District, which includes Westchester County
and other northern suburbs of New York City, Supreme Court
Justice John LaCava and Acting Supreme Court Justice Gerald
Loehr are among seven candidates vying for three Supreme Court
seats.
* In Brooklyn, five candidates -- including Second Department
Justice Cheryl Chambers; Barry Kamins, administrative judge of
the New York City Criminal Court; and William Miller, a criminal
court judge and acting Supreme Court justice -- are running for
three openings on the Kings County Supreme Court.
THIRD DEPARTMENT (which includes Saratoga and Binghamton)
* In the Third Judicial District, which includes Albany County,
five candidates are running for two Supreme Court seats. Among
them are Appellate Division Justices Bernard Malone and Michael
Kavanagh. Democrats Stephan Schick and Richard Mott and Working
Families Party candidate Lawrence Weissman, all of them
practicing attorneys, also have tossed their hats in the ring. A
loss for Malone or Kavanagh, who are both Republicans, would
open a vacancy in the Third Department, which would be filled by
Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.
* There are eight candidates seeking four seats in the 4th
Judicial District, which covers Saratoga and 10 other counties.
Montgomery Supreme Court Justice Joseph Sise and acting Supreme
Court Justices Felix Catena and Christine Clark are among the
candidates.
FOURTH DEPARTMENT (which includes Buffalo, Rochester and
Syracuse)
* In the 7th Judicial District, which includes Monroe County,
where Rochester is located, Supreme Court Justice David Michael
Barry and Acting Supreme Court Justice Gail Donofrio, both
Republicans, are facing challenges from Democrats Sean Gleanson,
an attorney, and Acting Rochester City Court Judge Scott
Odorisi.
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