Two legal leaders from Queens short-listed for NY's high court
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Appellate Justice Valerie Brathwaite Nelson (left) and Nassau County DA Madeline Singas, both of Queens, were named two of the seven finalists for a seat on the Court of Appeals. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese; Facebook photo
By David Brand
A pair of legal leaders from Queens have been short-listed for a seat on New York’s highest court.
Appellate Justice Valerie Brathwaite Nelson, a former Queens Supreme Court judge from Hollis, and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, an ex-Queens assistant district attorney from Astoria, are two of the seven finalists, all women, recommended to fill a vacancy on the New York Court of Appeals.
The state court system’s Commission on Judicial Nomination made its recommendations after reviewing 45 applications to replace retired Judge Leslie Stein. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will choose one of the nominees to the seven-member judicial panel by May 8.
Brathwaite Nelson was first elected to the bench in Queens Civil Court in 2003 before moving to the Supreme Court in 2005. She grew up in Southeast Queens, attending schools in Hollis, St. Albans and Cambria Heights before attending college at Syracuse University and law school at George Washington University.
She returned to her home borough to begin her legal career and has earned praise and support from the local legal community.
“Judge Brathwaite Nelson has long been a member of our Bar Association and has participated in many seminars and meetings with our membership,” the Queens County Bar Association said in a statement Saturday. “We are certain that she would make a fine addition to the Court of Appeals and we are all in her corner rooting for her.”
State Sen. Leroy Comrie honored Brathwaite Nelson as a “Woman of Distinction” in 2017. He said Monday that he is pulling for her to get the Court of Appeals spot.
“I think she is a great person and she’s been helpful in the community for many years,” Comrie said. “I’ve known her for many years and I know her dedication in her way, and she has distinguished herself at every level of the legal profession.”
Singas was born and raised in Astoria and went on to attend Barnard College, Columbia University and Fordham Law. She began her legal career in the Queens DA’s Office before moving to the Nassau prosecutor’s office in 2006. She rose through ranks, heading the Special Victims Bureau and becoming chief assistant DA. She was named acting DA when her predecessor Kathleen Rice won a seat in Congress, and went on to win her first four-year term in 2015. She won a second term in 2019.
Singas did not say what motivated her to seek a seat on the high court, but called it “an honor” to be considered a finalist.
“I’ve dedicated my entire career to public service and the pursuit of justice, and I remain committed to the work the people of Nassau County elected me to do,” Singas said in a statement.
Naming a top county prosecutor to the state’s highest court has recent precedent. New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore served as Westchester County DA before Cuomo appointed her to the bench in Albany.
In a statement, Commission Chair E. Leo Milonas, a former appellate judge, noted the “extraordinary quality” of the applicants, of whom more than half were women.
“The number of exceptional and diverse candidates reflects the unparalleled depth of the legal profession in New York,” Milonas said.
The other five candidates include three active judges: Hon. Ellen Nachtigall Biben, the administrative judge for criminal matters in the First Judicial District, a Court of Claims judge and and acting Supreme Court justice; Hon. Erin M. Peradotto, associate justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department; and Hon. Shirley Troutman, associate justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department.
The commission also recommended two lawyers in private practices: Kathy Hirata Chin, an attorney with the firm Crowell & Moring; Caitlin Halligan, and attorney with the firm Selendy & Gay PLLC.
The commission will next release a list of nominees for a second vacancy left by late Justice Paul Feinman, who stepped down just days before his death last month.
