By Daniel Wiessner
ALBANY, N.Y., Dec 14 (Reuters) - The deadline to apply for
the New York Court of Appeals seat vacated after the sudden
death of Judge Theodore Jones has been extended to Dec. 21, the
state Commission on Judicial Nomination said Friday.
Jones, 68, died of a heart attack on Nov. 6. He was the
fourth black judge in the top court's history. The original
deadline to apply for the vacancy was Dec. 18.
"The extension is intended to ensure that the size and
composition of the pool of applicants for the state's highest
court represents the broadest possible spectrum of qualified
candidates and to give applicants additional time given the
holiday season," the commission said in a release.
Meanwhile, the panel on Dec. 1 announced seven candidates to
fill the seat being vacated by Judge Carmen Ciparick, who has
reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 and will step down at
the end of December.
Governor Andrew Cuomo must choose a replacement for Ciparick
between Jan. 1 and Jan. 15. Those not chosen from the pool of
candidates will be considered for Jones's seat, the commission
said, which will be filled by early April.
The nominees for Ciparick's seat are Appellate Division,
First Department Justices Sheila Abdus-Salaam and Rolando
Acosta; Fourth Department Justice Eugene Fahey; Kathy Chin of
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; David Schulz of Levine Sullivan
Koch & Schulz; CUNY School of Law Professor Jenny Rivera; and
Margarita Rosa, the executive director of Grand Street
Settlement.
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