Chief Judge Wilson selects ex-counsel to Senate Democrats as top staff attorney

July 20, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

Chief Judge Rowan Wilson.
Photo courtesy of the NYS Court of Appeals via AP

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Noah Mamis, a former associate at Paul Weiss and counsel to state Senate Democrats, has been selected by New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson as his top staff attorney. Wilson, who took on the role of chief judge in April, confirmed the appointment through a state court system spokesman, who revealed that Mamis will assume his new role after Labor Day.

Mamis, a Georgetown University Law Center graduate, has been with the Senate Democrats since 2018, first as a senior legislative analyst and later as the director of policy and research. Before his time in the Senate, Mamis worked as an associate with the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

The decision to appoint Mamis has been met with opposition from Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-Brookhaven), who previously voted against Wilson’s nomination for chief judge, expressed his concerns about the choice in the New York Law Journal this week, accusing Judge Wilson of returning a favor to the politicians who confirmed his nomination.

“The news that Chief Judge Rowan Wilson intends to nominate Noah Mamis as his chief counsel is deeply concerning on many levels,” Palumbo said in a statement to the NYLJ. He referred to Mamis as being central to the efforts to “malign and discredit” the nomination of Hon. Hector LaSalle, the first Latino to be nominated for chief judge. LaSalle’s nomination was declined by the Senate majority in February.

According to Palumbo, the appointment of Mamis threatens the independence of New York’s courts and introduces partisan politics into the state’s highest court. “Mamis’ hiring will greatly diminish the ability of New York’s courts to act as an independent body,” Palumbo said.

The Republican senator further noted that the appointment comes at a crucial time, with a Democratic lawsuit challenging the Senate and Congressional redistricting maps soon to be heard by the Court of Appeals. He urged Judge Wilson to recuse himself from any decisions related to the redistricting maps, stating this appointment is another move by the Democratic leadership to control the courts and promote their own political agenda.