How to Research NYC Judicial Candidates: Bar Association Ratings for the November Election

Deciding who to vote for judge in New York City often comes down to a last-minute scramble in the voting booth, where many residents discover judicial candidates on their ballot for the very first time. Ahead of the November 3, 2026 election, three boroughs feature competitive judicial races, leaving voters to choose between unfamiliar names without traditional campaign platforms. To bridge this information gap, local legal trade groups evaluate the candidates based on impartiality, integrity, knowledge of the law, and judicial temperament, providing the public with crucial performance ratings.

Bar Association Ratings Fill the Information Void

The New York City Bar Association issues binary ratings of “approved” or “not approved” following evaluations by its 50-member Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York utilizes a four-tier scale: “highly approved,” “approved,” “not approved,” or “failed to appear,” measuring candidates on their commitment to equal rights, absence of bias, and overall legal intellect. In Queens, the Queens County Bar Association rates candidates as “well qualified” or “qualified” after direct meetings, while also explicitly noting candidates who failed to appear for evaluation.

Kings County Judicial Contenders

Voters in Brooklyn face competitive races across the Supreme Court and Civil Court benches, featuring sharply contrasting evaluations from the screening panels.

For the Justice of the Supreme Court in the 2nd Judicial District (Kings, 4 seats), Betsey Jean Jacques, Sherveal Mimes, and Lola Waterman all secured “Approved” ratings from both the NYC Bar Association and the LGBT Bar Association. Hemalee J. Patel earned approval from the NYC Bar but received a “Not approved” mark from the LGBT Bar Association. William D. Spain Jr. received a “Not approved” rating from the NYC Bar and was marked as having failed to appear by the LGBT Bar.

Further down the Kings County ballot in the Civil Court races:

4th Municipal Court District (2 seats): Anthony W. Vaughn Jr. earned approval from both the NYC Bar and LGBT Bar. Xavier Carr and Aaron Franklin both received “Not approved” ratings from the NYC Bar and failed to appear for the LGBT Bar evaluation.
8th Municipal Court District (1 seat): Susan A. Liebman received a “Not approved” from the NYC Bar but was approved by the LGBT Bar. Etan C. Harris received a “Not approved” from the NYC Bar and failed to appear before the LGBT Bar.

Bar Associations Rate Candidates for Queens Court Seats

Queens voters face multiple contested seats for the Supreme Court and Civil Court, with several candidates drawing distinct distinctions from the Queens County Bar Association.

For the Supreme Court in the 11th Judicial District (3 seats), Edwin I. Novillo was rated “Highly qualified” by the Queens County Bar Association and “Approved” by both the NYC and LGBT Bar Associations. Oma D. Phillips was rated “Qualified” by the Queens County Bar and “Approved” by the two other bar groups. Gary Muraca, David A. Bellon, and Gail A. Adams all failed to appear before the Queens County Bar and received “Not approved” ratings from the NYC Bar.

In the race for Civil Court judgeships in Queens:

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Edmond Wong and Jasmine I. Valle-Bueno both earned “Qualified” marks from the Queens County Bar and approval from the NYC Bar. Valle-Bueno also secured a “Highly approved” rating from the LGBT Bar, while Wong failed to appear for that specific screening.
Thomas D. Barra, Julie M. Milner, and Michael Mossa all failed to appear before the Queens County Bar and received “Not approved” ratings from the NYC Bar.
Janet Ellen Keller secured a “Qualified” rating from the Queens County Bar and dual approval from the NYC and LGBT Bar Associations in the 2nd Municipal Court District.
Michael Ann McSweeney-Ortiz and William David Shanahan both earned “Qualified” ratings from the Queens County Bar and “Approved” marks from the NYC Bar in the 3rd Municipal Court District.

Staten Island Richmond County Bench Contests

Richmond County voters evaluating the 13th Judicial District Supreme Court seat will see Kelvin Richards and Michael J. Pinto, both of whom earned “Approved” ratings from the NYC Bar Association. Both candidates, however, failed to appear for the LGBT Bar Association review.

For the Richmond Civil Court seat, Tashanna Golden received an “Approved” rating from the NYC Bar and a “Highly approved” rating from the LGBT Bar, running against Glenn A. Yost, who earned NYC Bar approval but failed to appear before the LGBT Bar. In the 1st Municipal Court District, John A. Vitucci secured approval from both the NYC and LGBT Bar Associations, while Carrie Ann Low received an NYC Bar approval but failed to appear for the LGBT Bar evaluation.