Four Queens Civil Court seats, four candidates, four St. John's Law alums
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The Queens Civil Courthouse. Photo by David Brand
By David Brand
Four candidates are running unopposed for four open seats on the bench in Queens Civil Court, all but assuring their victories on Nov. 3.
The four candidates, all Democrats, include a diverse mix of local attorneys. They are Leigh Cheng, Nestor Diaz, Jr., Jessica Earle-Gargan and Denise Johnson. In addition to their places on the ballot, they share something else in common, too. All four attended St. John’s Law School.
The four candidates were nominated by the Queens County Democratic Party in February and two, Cheng and Earle-Gargan, faced primary challenges. Before last year, it had been decades since a Civil Court candidate nominated by the Queens County Democrats had faced a primary opponent.
Cheng and Earle-Gargan won their races by a significant margin and it was smooth sailing from there. The Republican Party did not put up any Queens candidates for seats in the New York City Civil Court.
The four candidates elected Nov. 3 will serve a 10-year term at a salary of $193,500 per year in the New York City Civil Court system. Their roles are more limited than judges in state Supreme Court, though they may later serve as acting Supreme Court justices.
Starting in January, they can preside in Civil Court, where they decide lawsuits involving claims up to $25,000, Housing Court or Family Court. Judges elected and assigned to Criminal Court will handle arraignments, misdemeanor proceedings and preliminary hearings in felony cases.
Though they are running in Queens, the candidates may end up serving elsewhere in New York City depending on need. The state’s Office of Court Administration makes those assignments.
Attorney Leigh Cheng is one of four candidates for seats on the Queens Civil Court bench. Photo via Cheng’s campaign
Cheng is a law secretary for Justice Lee Mayersohn in Queens Supreme Court, Civil Term. He is running for a seat on the bench in the Sixth Civil Court District, which includes Flushing and other parts of Central Queens. He defeated challenger Juan Hong, a candidate backed by the East Elmhurst Corona Democratic Club, in the June Democratic primary.
Civil Court candidate Nestor Diaz (right) with Judge Karina Alomar, a candidate for Queens Supreme Court. Eagle file photo by Caroline Ourso
Diaz is a criminal defense attorney and a past president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County. He is the first Dominican-American man designated for a judgeship by the Queens County Democratic Party and was honored in February as “Man of the Year” by the organization 100 Hispanic Men. He is running for a countywide position and did not face an opponent in the primary.
Attorney Jessica Earle-Gargan is one of four candidates running for four seats on the Civil Court bench in Queens. Photo via Earle-Gargan campaign/Facebook
Earle-Gargan is a principal law secretary for Justice William Viscovich in Queens Supreme Court. She previously worked under Justice Maureen Healy. She was formerly a lawyer with Richard T. Lau & Associates and a Kings County assistant district attorney. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Queens College.
She is running for a countywide position after defeating her opponent John Ciafone in June.
Attorney Denise Johnson is one of four candidates for Civil Court judgeships. Photo via Johnson’s campaign/Facebook
Johnson has served as a principal law secretary for nearly 14 years. She is a past president of the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association and a member of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association, the Association of Black Women Attorneys, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the National Bar Association.
She is running in the Fourth Civil Court District, which includes a swath of Southeast Queens, and did not face a primary opponent.
Earle-Gargan, Diaz and Cheng were each rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on the Judiciary Tuesday and “Qualified” by the Queens County Bar Association.
Johnson was rated “Not Approved” by the NYCBA, but that rating does not mean the NYCBA found her unqualified for a judgeship. Johnson did not submit an application or sit for an interview with the committee, she told the Eagle
Candidates who do not complete that process are rated “Not Approved.”
