Meet the candidates for nine open Queens Supreme Court judgeships

The Queens supreme court, civil term building. eagle file Photo by david brand

By David Brand

Most voters have focused their attention on the race for U.S. president, or, perhaps, Queens borough president, but few elected officials have more direct impact on everyday New Yorkers’ lives than judges.

They’re also the elected officials that voters know the least about, and have the least say in nominating.

In Queens, Democrats outnumber Republicans eight-to-one, which means Democrats dominate the bench.

Democratic party chiefs choose the judicial nominees before presenting their picks to the party’s judicial delegates and 82 district leaders — Democrats elected to voluntary office with some theoretical influence in party decision-making. They traditionally rubber-stamp the candidates via voice vote during an annual judicial convention.

Thirteen judgeships are on the line in Queens this year, with early voting well underway in the borough.

Several of the races are foregone conclusions: four Democrats are running unopposed for four open Civil Court seats.  The Eagle will preview those tomorrow.

Nine Supreme Court seats are also up for grabs, with four candidates cross-endorsed on the Democratic and Republican lines.

All nine Democrats running for Supreme Court judgeships are already active on the bench, either as Civil Court judges looking to level up to state court, or current Supreme Court justices running for reelection to new 14-year terms. 

Below are the Queens Supreme Court candidates, listed in alphabetical order with their party affiliation, rating from the New York City Bar Association and some additional information. The NYC Bar gives two ratings, “Approved” and “Not Approved.” Candidates rated “Approved” submitted an application, met with the committee for an interview and have “affirmatively demonstrated qualifications necessary for the performance of the duties of the position for which they are being considered,” the NYC Bar wrote in a message accompanying their ratings.

Karina Alomar (Democratic) 

Alomar is an acting justice in Civil Supreme Court after presiding in Criminal Court for more than a year. The veteran attorney and former president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens was elected to the bench in November.  Alomar was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Afua Atta-Mensah (Working Families) 

Atta-Mensah is the executive director of Community Voices Heard. Atta-Mensah was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Evelyn L. Braun (Democratic/Republican/Conservative) 

Braun is a Queens Supreme Court justice. She is seeking her third term after first being elected in 1992. She previously presided in Civil Court.  Braun was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Tracy A. Catapano-Fox (Democratic/Republican/Conservative) 

Catapano-Fox is the current supervising judge in Queens Civil Court. She is a Howard Beach native and previously served as executive director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board. She was also a Queens assistant district attorney and the Chief Clerk of Queens Supreme Court, Civil Term. Catapano-Fox was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Mojgan Cohanim Lancman (Democratic)

Lancman is an acting justice in Supreme Court, Civil Term. Before being elected judge in 2014, Lancman served for nearly two decades as a court attorney, arbitrator and court referee. She also served as law clerk in Queens Civil Court and in Queens Supreme Court. She is chair of the Queens Brandeis Association. Lancman was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Bob Cohen (Working Families Party) 

Cohen is policy director at the nonprofit organization Citizen Action of New York.  Cohen was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Lance Evans (Democratic)

Evans is a judge in Queens Civil Court. Before his election in 2018, Evans served as a court attorney-referee in the Residential Foreclosure Part. Evans was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Darrell L. Gavrin (Democratic)

Gavrin is a Queens Supreme Court justice seeking reelection to a new 14-year term. Gavrin became an Acting Supreme Court justice in 1999 and was elected to her first term on the Supreme Court bench in 2006. She previously presided in Criminal, Civil and Family Courts. Prior to her career on the bench, she served as counsel to the Board of Standards and Appeals, a small claims arbitrator in Queens Civil Court and a principal law clerk. 

Gavrin was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Joshua Goldfein (Working Families Party)

Goldfein is a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society, where he represents and helps organize residents in homeless shelters as well as residents of cluster site apartments and buildings converted to permanent housing. Goldfein was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Judith Goldiner (Working Families Party)

Goldiner is attorney-in-charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. Goldiner was rated was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Michelle A. Johnson (Democratic)

Johnson serves as supervising judge in Queens Criminal Court and has served as an acting justice in Supreme Court, Criminal Term since 2016. She was first appointed to the bench in 2012. Johnson was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Joseph F. Kasper (Republican/Conservative) 

Kasper is a perennial candidate for the Supreme Court bench, running on the Republican ticket. 

He is a veteran attorney and South Ozone Park community leader who serves as the recording secretary for the South Ozone Park Civic Association West. Kasper was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Kevin J. Kerrigan (Democratic/Republican/Conservative) 

Kerrigan is a Queens Supreme Court justice. He is seeking his second term after first being elected in 2006. He previously presided in Civil Court. Before the bench, he worked as deputy commissioner at the state Liquor Authority. Kerrigan was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Leonard Livote (Democratic/Republican/Conservative) 

Livote is a judge in the New York Court of Claims appointed in 2010 by Gov. David Paterson. Livote previously served as a Queens prosecutor, a court attorney and a principal law clerk. He is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Livote was rated “Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Kenneth Schaeffer (Working Families)

Schaeffer is a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society. Schaeffer was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

John C. Spataro (Republican/Conservative)

Spataro has worked as an insurance defense attorney for more than 20 years. Spataro was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Justin Sweet (Working Families Party)

Sweet lost the Democratic primary for Rockland County’s Senate District 38 in June to Elijah Reichlin-Melnick. Sweet is on the Queens Supreme Court ballot to enable the WFP to gives its Senate District 38 line to Reichlin-Melnick through a piece of election law known as a Wilson Pakula maneuver, Sweet’s former campaign manager told the Eagle.

Sweet was was rated “Not Approved” by the New York City Bar Association.

Tomorrow, the Eagle will preview the candidates for Queens Civil Court judgeships.