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Brooklyn Bar Association President Klass calls LaSalle nomination a great choice

December 23, 2022 Rob Abruzzese
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Justice Hector LaSalle was nominated by Gov. Kathy Hochul to be the state’s next chief judge on Thursday and the Brooklyn Bar Association’s President Richard Klass was pleased with the nomination.

“It is such an honor that the Hon. Hector LaSalle has been nominated by Gov. Hochul to be appointed as the next Chief Judge of the NYS Court of Appeals,” Klass said. “Brooklyn has been very lucky to have Justice LaSalle serving as the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, Second Department. Justice LaSalle is a great choice given his experience and background. The Brooklyn Bar Association wishes him much success.”

Though LaSalle is not from Brooklyn, the borough quickly got to know him as he sat as the presiding justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department right here on Monroe Place.

The BBA held a meet and greet with Justice LaSalle in May 2021, and he has been a fixture at local bar association events including the BBA’s 150th Anniversary party this past June. He attended the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association Foundation’s scholarship fundraiser earlier this year and he was expected to be the keynote speaker at the BWBA’s annual Appellate Division Luncheon on January 25.

“Justice LaSalle’s career in public service speaks for itself and we’re so fortunate to have such a distinguished member of the judiciary be selected as the next Chief Judge,” said Darran Winslow, president of the Kings County Criminal Bar Association.

Darran Winslow, president of the Kings County Criminal Bar Association. Eagle file photo by Robert Abruzzese

Justice LaSalle had previously been given the highest rating of approval possible among the seven nominated justices by the New York State Trial Lawyers Academy — something the Academy’s president was quick to point out on Thursday.

“Judge Hector LaSalle earned NYSTLA’s highest possible rating to fill the Chief Judge vacancy,” said Tom Valet, president of New York State Trial Lawyers and partner at Rappaport, Glass, Levine & Zullo LLP. “NYSTLA is confident that he will be a fair and thoughtful jurist who will safeguard the rights of all New Yorkers.”

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) offered congratulations to Justice LaSalle, and pointed out the significance of his nomination, however, the association did lament the missed opportunity of appointing Hon. Jeffrey Oing.

“Despite the progress being made today with the nomination of Justice LaSalle and the proposed appointment of Justice Richardson-Mendelson, AABANY is disappointed that Gov. Hochul missed a major opportunity to nominate a highly qualified Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) judge, Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing,” said AABANY President William Ng.

“As we head into 2023, New York State, with 1.8 million people of AAPI descent across the state, will remain one of 42 states in the United States with no AAPI judges on the state’s highest court. AABANY will continue to support and advance qualified AAPI judges whose nomination and appointment to the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, remains long overdue. AABANY will continue working towards a Court of Appeals that is representative of all New Yorkers.”

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