Singas: Already prepared for appointment to Top State Court? (Updated: she was confirmed)

                                                                              

    Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas

While Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas' appointment to New York's Court of Appeals is expected to be voted upon by the state senate today, political sources say that Singas was seen at the Supreme Court building in Mineola yesterday picking out her judicial chambers.

Members of the Court of Appeals are entitled to have chambers in their home county courthouse.

For example, former Chief Judge Sol Wachtler of North Hempstead had chambers in Mineola before the then well-respected Republican judge temporarily lost his mind in the early 1990s and harassed a former mistress. He briefly served time in federal prison.

Five progressive state senators -- those that pushed for bail reform and other criminal justice changes -- have said they will not vote for Singas today because of her background as a prosecutor. 

But will that be enough to derail Singas' confirmation?

UPDATE: Nope, the objections weren't enough to stop Singas. According to Nick Reisman at Spectrum localnews.com, the senate today confirmed Singas to the Court of Appeals.   

The central jury room in the Mineola courthouse had already been reserved for the 1 p.m. swearing in Wednesday of  Singas' designated successor, Executive Assistant District Attorney Joyce Smith, a Democrat from Queens, as acting district attorney.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Joyce Smith

Guess it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Singas named Smith as her successor on the same day in April that Singas was recommended by a judicial selection commission for the Court of Appeals. Smith would serve until the next election for district attorney this November,  but the governor does have the power to appoint a different candidate.

There has been much discussion in Nassau political circles that State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), a former federal prosecutor,  is seeking that appointment. 

But Kaminsky was also one of the many Democrats that called for Cuomo to resign earlier this year amid allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed women, misused government staff, bullied fellow elected officials and covered-up that actual number of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.

 Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing.


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