Queens nominates two candidates for Civil Court

Attorneys Edmond Wong (left) and Julie Milner (right) won the Democratic primary for two open seats in Queens Civil Court. Photos via campaigns

By Noah Powelson

A Queens County Democratic Party candidate and an insurgent candidate both won the Democratic primary race for Civil Court on Tuesday.

Attorneys Edmond Wong and Julie Milner won the Democratic primary on Tuesday and will appear on the ballot in the general election in November. Each candidate pulled in more than 25 percent of the total votes cast in the four-way race for the two vacancies on the court.

Wong’s victory wasn’t much of a shock – he was endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Party and received a slew of endorsements from some of the most prominent Queens elected officials. Speaking to the Eagle, Wong said he was initially worried about low turnout and being placed fourth on the ballot, but was delighted and surprised to receive the most votes of the four candidates.

"It was quite a shock seeing the numbers come in the way they did," Wong told the Eagle. "Im honored that Queens county turned up to vote the way they did. The campaign worked hard, all the friends, family and community members worked hard...and Queens heard it."

Milner’s victory, however, was a surprise, as she defeated a second Queens Dems candidate, Edward Irizarry.

Milner, a civil rights attorney who made several unsuccessful runs for a judicial seat in 2024 and 2025, received a “not approved” rating from the New York City Bar Association, as well as a “not rated” designation by the Queens County Bar Association because she did not participate in their evaluation.

She currently works as both a dissertation advisor at Long Island University and as a pro bono arbitrator for the attorney fee dispute resolution program in Queens Civil Court, according to her campaign’s website.

The Eagle reported in 2024 that an X account under Milner’s name had featured a number of posts supporting issues championed by the far-right, including bans on LGBTQ+ books – which she called “filthy, pornographic smut” – in school libraries. Milner also appeared to call for the execution of President Joe Biden on her X account in 2023 in response to posts about Biden’s alleged improper handling of classified documents.

“Impeach, remove, indict, execute,” Milner tweeted twice in January 2023.

Milner’s biggest supporter was the East Elmhurst Democratic Club, which is led by former State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the legislative body after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault charges and who has successfully challenged Queens Democratic Party candidates several times in the past.

The social media posts and her association with Monserrate didn’t appear to dissuade voters.

Milner defeated Irizarry by nearly 9,000 votes.

Milner could not be reached for comment.

With just under 96 percent of the votes counted as of reporting time Wednesday, Wong and Milner secured 50,113 votes and 43,511 votes respectively, about 30 percent and just under 27 percent of the vote totals.

Two judicial candidates for Queens Civil Court will appear on the ballot in the next general election.  Eagle file photo by Walter Karling

Irizarry received about 34,000 votes as of reporting time, roughly 21 percent of the total.

Irizarry has over 30 years of experience in New York’s legal system and currently serves as a court attorney to Judge Maria Gonzalez, who was elected to Queens’ Civil Court in 2022. He first started his career as a prosecutor, working in the Queens district attorney’s office from 1991 until 1996. He ran a private practice before joining the Judge Gonzalez, focusing on criminal defense, guardianships and real property – and was a member of the borough’s 18B panel.

Like Wong, Irizarry also enjoyed many of the same endorsements by Queens elected officials, including Representatives Gregory Meeks and Grace Meng, State Senator Leroy Comrie, and Assemblymember David Weprin.

Irizarry did not respond to a request for comment.

The night was also a disappointment for the fourth candidate on the ballot, personal injury law attorney John Ciafone, who received about 32,000 votes as of reporting time – roughly 20 percent of the total.

Speaking to the Eagle on Wednesday, Ciafone said he believed his endorsements from the Detectives' Endowment Association and law enforcement groups didn’t appeal to many of the young voters in Queens who showed up to elect a number of progressive candidates across Queens on Tuesday. He also chalked up his loss to low turnout.

“There were more poll workers than voters when I went into the site," Ciafone said. “But I won't give up on my support and beliefs."

When asked if he was considering making another run for the bench in the future, Ciafone said he wasn’t sure.

"It's very disheartening, all the hard work you have to do to get on the ballot...and then you get to the days of the races and there's no spectators in the crowd," he said.

The Queens County Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment.