Three Housing Court Judges Named
In Brief, NYLJ, 8/18/06
Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman has appointed three new Housing Court judges: Sabrina B. Kraus, a partner at Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Schwartz & Nahins; Karen Lin, the principal law clerk for Acting Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Shafer, Civil Division; and Louis Villella, a court attorney with Housing Court.
No announcement posted yet on http://nycourts.gov/home.htm and no mention of which county they will serve in or which current Housing Court judges are retiring or were not reappointed.
Housing Court Judges Up For Reappointment
The appointment and re-appointment of housing court judges is of vital interest to property owners both large and small. In order for individuals to be appointed, or for judges to be re-appointed, they must first obtain the approval of the Housing Court Advisory Council. The Advisory Council consists of 14 members, including two owner representatives and two tenant representatives. RSA’s General Counsel, Mitch Posilkin, has recently been appointed as one of the owner representatives, along with Phil Rosen, Esq., a partner with the firm of Horing, Welikson & Rosen.
It is important that owners and their attorneys provide as much information as possible to their representatives on the Advisory Council regarding the judges who seek re-appointment. That information can be either positive or negative in nature. In either case, it would be helpful in determining the appropriateness of re-appointment for individual judges.
This year the following judges are eligible for re-appointment:
Hon. Ronnie Birnbaum
Hon. George Heymann
Hon. Jose Rodriguez
Hon. Pierre Turner
Hon. Maria Ressos
Hon. Marian Doherty
Hon. Brenda Spears
Hon. Gerald Lebovitz
If you have any information, please feel free to contact Mitch Posilkin at mposilkin@rsanyc.org or by calling him at 212-214-9244.
http://rsanyc.org/articles/081406_hc.htm
The Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) is the largest trade association in New York City representing 25,000 property owners/agents responsible for approximately one million units of housing.
New York City Civil Court Housing Part
Advisory Council
The Advisory Council for the Housing Part was established pursuant to Civil Court Act section 110 to assist in the selection of new Housing Judges. The 14 members of the Advisory Council conduct initial prescreening interviews and evaluations of applicants. The Judges are then appointed by the Chief Administrative Judge from an annual list of qualified applicants compiled by the Advisory Council.
Advisory Council members who serve without compensation are composed of:
• two members representing the real estate industry,
• two members representing tenants' organizations,
• two members representing civic groups,
• two members representing bar associations,
• four members from the public at large,
• one Mayoral appointee, and
• the Commissioner of Housing and Community Renewal.
To see a current list of members, click on Advisory Council members.
In addition to evaluating Housing Judge applicants, the Advisory Council reviews and annually reports on the functioning of the Housing Part. For more information on the Advisory Council, click on CCA §110(f)(g) and (h).
For questions about the Advisory Council or Housing Court Judgeships, you can contact Gail Johnson at (646) 386-5420.