13 candidates win seats on Queens bench, including four new Civil Court judges

Four new Civil Court judges will join the Queens bench. Six Civil Court judges and acting Supreme Court justices won full terms in Supreme Court. Another three Supreme Court justices won reelection. Eagle file photo by David Brand

By Rachel Vick

Thirteen judges, all Democrats, won seats on the Civil and Supreme Court benches in Queens Tuesday.

Six of the nine Supreme Court justices have served in Queens Civil Court or as acting Supreme Court justices and will move up to full terms in state court Jan. 1.

They are Civil Court Supervising Judge Tracy Catapano Fox, Criminal Court Supervising Judge Michelle A. Johnson, Civil Court Judge Mojgan Lancman, Civil Court Judge Karina Alomar, Court of Claims Judge Leonard Livote and Civil Court Judge Lance Evans.

Current Supreme Court Justices Evelyn Braun, Kevin Kerrigan, and Darrel Gavrin all secured reelection to new 14-year terms.

Several of the candidates received cross endorsements from the Republican and Conservative parties and appeared on their ballot lines.

Four veteran Queens attorneys, all St. John’s Law School alumni, will also take the Civil Court bench beginning next year.

Denise Johnson, Leigh Cheng, Nestor Diaz and Jessica Earle-Gargan were each elected Tuesday.

They will serve 10-year terms in the New York City Civil Court system, presiding over civil or criminal court parts at whichever courthouse the Office of Court Administration assigns them to.