A ‘program bill’ would allow the governor to select a sitting Court of Appeals judge and then use the same list of finalists to fill the additional vacancy
ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced a bill late Monday that could indicate she is considering nominating one of the Court of Appeals’ sitting justices to be the next chief judge of the state’s highest court.
The governor said the purpose of the legislation would be to streamline the judicial nominating process and prevent the Court of Appeals from operating for extended periods with only six of its seven members.
The bill was proposed by the governor as she is reviewing a new list of finalists for chief judge that was issued last week by the Commission on Judicial Nomination. That list includes three associate judges serving on the Court of Appeals.
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