More judge pickings on New York County Supreme Court

My last column included news of the upcoming race to fill the three vacancies on the New York County Supreme Court with a judicial profile of Judge Lyle Frank, one of the six candidates in the running. Then, on July 20th, at Londel’s restaurant in West Harlem, Keith Wright, leader of the New York County Democrats, announced the names of the nine additional candidates additional names who were reported out by the Independent Screening Panel. Some may be competing for the open seats. All reported out are currently judges - Christopher Chin, James Clynes, Ashley Crawford, Paul Goetz, Hasa Kingo, Ilana Marcus, Eric Schumacher, Aija Tingling, Kathleen Waterman Marshall.

The six originally in the running and remaining in the race are Judge Lyle Frank, Judge Suzanne Adams, Judge Judy Kim, Judge Gerald Lebovits, Judge Phaedra Perry, Judge Leslie Stroth. As time and space allow, I’ll be writing about all of the candidates until the Judicial Convention in August.

An Upper East Sider, Judge Suzanne Adams was elected to the Civil Court bench in the 9th Municipal District in 2017. As a Civil Court Judge, she presided over Criminal Court and Family Court cases. In January 2020, Judge Adams became an Acting Supreme Court Justice. In the 18 years before being elected to the bench, she represented and defended litigants in all aspects of civil litigation in motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, construction site related accident, property damage and subrogation actions. In addition to conducting depositions and trials, she supervised, trained and mentored associates in the law firms where she practiced. Judge Adams was also a founding member of a women-owned law firm.

In Criminal Court, Judge Adams presided over the City’s Midtown Community Court which addresses low-level offenses by working with social workers and other professionals to redirect litigants into rehabilitation programs rather than incarceration. Judge Adams was selected by the Office of Court Administration to handle the new Raise the Age Law cases, in Kings County Family Court. The Raise the Age Law gives 16 and 17 year teenagers the opportunity to have their cases heard in Family Court instead of Criminal Court.

Continuing her community outreach, and while working in Kings County, Judge Adams participated in The Brooklyn Legal Pipeline Initiative through the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, providing mentorships, internships, and mock interviews to students of diverse backgrounds. Here in New York County, Judge Adams participates in the Special Masters program, which is a diversity pipeline for lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds to have a pathway to the judiciary through mentorship. Each summer Judge Adams runs an internship program for students to experience the courtroom.

As part of her community service, Judge Adams, from 2011 to 2017, provided Pro Bono legal services in the Eviction Intervention Services Clinic, New York, NY, where she assisted tenants with serious housing issues. Judge Adams is the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Jurist Award from the Defense Association New York, Inc.

Waiting for books - When I see a line outside a store, no matter how enticing the space or place, the product or the people, I cross the street. But, sometimes there’s a but. And this line had me almost teary-eyed. A line of people waiting to enter the newly opened Barnes & Noble on 3rd Ave and 87th St. in a storefront that was once a Duane Reade. Maybe it was a CVS. I know it was once Agora, a fabulous vintage restaurant and emporium. At one time, there was even a Pier 1 at the location. But those were yesterdays.

Now, it’s a Barnes & Noble. A book palace. And long live those lines. The last never-ending line I saw was at Crumbl’s on 3rd Avenue in the 60s where tots, teens, tweens, mommas, poppas, pooches, bikers were lined up awaiting the week’s latest cookie concoction. That line goes on day after day after day and continues week in and week out. Cookies are okay. But they don’t beat books. And cookies taste better when you’re reading a book. So, thanks to B&N for returning to Yorkville and bringing back hard- and soft- covered books - real books that have pages you can turn - and for making lines something to look forward to.