DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Kings County will be welcoming three new judges to its bench in November, hot on the heels of new legislation signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The legislation will expand the number of judges appointed and elected statewide, in an effort to help reduce the case backlog in family and civil courts.

After an exhaustive process evaluating candidates by the Kings County Democratic Party law committee, three emerged to have positions on the November ballot, running on the Democratic Party line. Candidates Mark Kagan, Tawanna Marie St Louis, and Abayomi Ajaiyeoba Whint officially certified their nominations Monday morning at the offices of Abrams Fensterman, LLP, located at 1 Metrotech Center, overseen by Kings County Democratic Committee Law Chair Anthony Genovesi.

Hochul’s new bill, S.9839/A.10540, which was signed on July 17, will increase the number of family and civil court judges by 28 across New York State, including 16 new judges for New York City — three of which will be assigned to Brooklyn. 

The new positions are slated to be filled by Nov. 5, based on county-wide voting, for the term commencing Jan. 1, 2025.

A historical moment

St Louis, a 2013 Touro Law Center graduate, has a background in matrimonial and family law. Kagan, who graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1996, specializes in criminal law, civil law and commercial litigation. Whint, born in Nigeria, has been an attorney for more than 20 years, and focuses primarily in public interest and government law. She is also a trained mediator.

“I’m very excited about today. We all are,” Whint said. “To me, it’s a historical moment, and I’m very thankful for this opportunity to serve the public.”  

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Assemblymember (D-42) and Brooklyn Democratic Party chair, told the Eagle that she is ecstatic to have such a diverse group of individuals as judicial candidates.

“One gentleman is Jewish, and we also have two black women, including one born in Nigeria,” Bichotte Hermelyn pointed out. “The purpose here is to continuously diversify the bench, because we want the Kings County bench to reflect the diversity of the borough.”

More judges

Bichotte Hermelyn explained that a number of candidates appeared before the judiciary committee, 11 of which were qualified. Ultimately, three candidates for the judgeships were nominated by the Brooklyn Democratic Party.

“They were chosen by our screening panel of legal attorneys and city bar association members who come and vet the candidates,” Bichotte Hermelyn said, adding that they look for, among other things, trial experience and demeanor. 

Bichotte Hermelyn continued, “The bottom line is that we really need more judges, because the backlog is ridiculous. The population has grown, and we have a lot of issues to deal with in the courts.”

Bichotte Hermelyn pointed out that in early August, the Brooklyn Democratic Party will be picking seven nominees for Supreme Court positions.