Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Public Demand: NYS Chief Judge Margarita Lopez Torres

Margarita Lopez Torres for New York State Chief Judge

Integrity in the Courts, a grassroots public interest organization based in Manhattan, today announced the formal movement to ensure that Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Margarita Lopez Torres becomes New York’s next Chief Judge. “The groundswell has been enormous,” said Frank Brady, one of the founding members of the year-old group, Integrity in the Courts. “New York needs a change- away from the corrupt, political favor-type system- to an impartial process that citizens, judges and attorneys can trust.”

Margarita Lopez Torres is nationally known as the maverick judicial candidate who fought New York’s corrupt, make-believe election process. She took her cause to ‘take the political clubhouse out of the courthouse’ all the way the United States Supreme Court. The Nation’s highest court told New York to clean up its own mess, and Judge Margarita Lopez Torres is just the person to get the job done.

New York's Constitution requires that "Supreme Court" judges (state trial court judges)be elected. But the candidates for election are nominated by a byzantine convention system mandated by statute. The only way to become a Supreme Court judge is to gain the nomination at the convention, and the only way to gain the nomination at the convention is with the approval of the local leader of the dominant political party. And we all know how corrupt that can be.

As U.S. District Court Judge Gleeson put it in Lopez Torres’ federal district court case, "[t]he labyrinthine, burdensome procedures ... ensure that the entrenched party leaders can install as delegates persons who will do their bidding.... Faced with an inability to get supportive delegates elected, it is cold comfort for a challenger candidate to be told not to worry, she can try to convince the delegates selected by the party leaders. The current system for selecting judges does not work that way and is not structured to work that way.” (Dist. Ct. Opin. p. 32. )

And the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agreed, "‘the uncontested evidence…is that across the state, the system for selecting candidates for the Supreme Court [in New York] vests almost total control in the hands of local political leaders.’ ... The Commission is hardly the only entity to reach this conclusion—it merely is the latest. Since 1944, New York’s judicial nominating system has been described as exclusionary and boss-dominated; reports and newspaper editorials from that time forward have decried an electoral practice ‘that mocks choice,’ and criticized a system in which ‘voters can never know the candidates and have to accept party slates,’ while the ‘real choice is ... left to political bosses ... who control nominations.’”

Attorneys appearing for Judge Lopez Torres before the United States Supreme Court called the New York Courts the “worst of all worlds.” And most non-political-hacks agree. The time is now for a Chief Judge of New York with courage, and that person is Judge Margarita Lopez Torres.

By law, New York State Governor Paterson must pick a Chief Judge from a list of seven candidates presented by the state’s 12-member Commission on Judicial Nomination.

“We are calling on Governor Paterson, the legal profession, all statewide elected officials and the public to become actively involved in the Chief Judge Lopez Torres movement,” says Mr. Brady, adding, “No one is more qualified.”

Additional details are to be announced later in the week.

26 comments:

  1. When Mario Cuomo picked Judith Kaye, she had great promise. Unfortunately, Ms. Kaye didn’t have a clue as to the corrupt forces that would work against her and behind her back. Things are bad in NY’s court system. Lopez Torres is a great idea.

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  2. Yes, I agree. Great idea. The end of the good old boy, chief-judge-hack-talking-puppet era must end. Lopez Torres has my support!!

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  3. Shelly's not going to be too happy about this.....

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  4. So lawyers go before the US Supreme Court and say NY court are the "worst of all worlds." I LOVE IT, and how true.

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  5. Screw Shelly, him with this putz Lippman, enough all ready. It's an open secret that the whole Judiciary system is a complete mess. I've had Judges tell me that people have told them that they don't believe and don't care, they know it's all one big fraud. Some people have figured out the scam.
    Appoint Judge Lopez Torres the Chief Judge and get rid of that fat ass bitch Kaye and all of her husband's corrupt friends. Gov. Paterson will go for it and screw Shelly and Chuck.

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  6. Has Lopez Torres filed an application with the selection committe yet? If not, Gov. Paterson should get a COURT ORDER and force her to....

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  7. Kaye may have fallen into the corruption, but she surely embraced it when she realized the protection and extent of power she would gain...she must be jailed for this participation!

    I want to know if the STATE CONSTITUTION states that the court must continue elections of trial judges, then why are the ACTING TITLES being continued with multiple assignments being made everyday??

    The ACTING TITLE is not an election process in any stretch of the imagination or constitution, and in upstate NY, the process has taken on a life for years of appointment, through the assignments of the ADMINISTRATIVE AND CHIEF judges of all the courts!

    If it's intention was to give superior court power to specialty courts..then the upstate administration is making up these types of courts, to falsely place theses parties' judicial hacks...I see it and so does the BUFFALO NEWS!

    The media in our area is has a very large readership and is denying the local taxpayers the facts of the NY STATE JUDICIARY!

    What are you afraid of MARGARET SULLIVAN...the issues that you are a woman run by the powerful men of the political parties???

    You are homegrown and a freightened little girl...give up your big boy job and let a strong person operate the paper.... so more people might have the truth revealed to them!

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  8. I beleive that the Chief Judgeship should be an elected position and ALL of NY STATE should get to vote...since we are severly affected by their leadership all over this state!
    If you think Kaye and her organized crime actors were brutal in NYC...check out what they get away with..away from home!
    This position should include judges from all over the state, for once, and then you may see the corruption in the judicial system ... being addressed as well as distancing it from the NYC DISASTER ZONE, the origin of the disease!
    Since this is called THE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM..then let's see us unify from somewhere else!
    Addressing corruption from the heart and embeddedness of it's roots, is almost an impossibility!

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  9. The Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves.

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  10. Kaye needs to go up to the mountains or be jailed for what has transpired on "HER WATCH!" Someone doesn't like Judge Margarita Lopez Torres based on what they did to her when she wantted to run for the SUrrogate Court. They knew she wasn't going to play ball with the old boys network. She hasn't let them raid the piggy bank - dead people's estates!

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  11. Why didn't Paterson think of Lopez Torres? He's a smart guy!!

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  12. A circus clown would be better than what we have now. What's that saying about the fish that stinks from the head.....

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  13. Some people want to get Margarita Lopez Torres out of Brooklyn and get her promoted to ALbany. They want to get her out of Brooklyn, see is hurting business in the Brooklyn Surrogate Court, the t&e attorneys don't like this arrangement.

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  14. Redux: Yes, it is a helpful first step, however, one vote on the highest state court does not ensure integrity. Lower Justices are so entrenched that they arrogantly hand out rulings to suit those that have done their bidding. Cases escalating up to the Court of Appeals would have but one sure vote to restore fairness in the state judicial system. The only sure bet and multiple steps in the right direction is FEDERAL INTERVENTION in the New York State Court system, as in the relief multiple Plaintiffs requested in the recent related cases to Anderson v. The State of New York, et al., 07cv09599, (a.k.a. the "Whisteblower" case).

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  15. After reading about Judge Margarita Lopez Torres, she's definately has my vote for Chief Judge..It's about time we all band together and try to elect someone who's Honest and who's conscious about the rampant corruption throughout the Judical and Legal system.

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  16. Yes, this corrupt judicial entity needs federal intervention, but it also needs leadership from ...way outside NYC!
    We can no longer run things with lawyers that have ties to NYC!
    I know this is foreign and objectionable to NYC'ERS , but sometimes life exists ethically, outside of the big apple!
    We have a loser and arrogant JUDGE... named Plumadore.... for courts outside of NY and guess what...he is from downstate!
    Plumadore is a perfect example of corruption that has been siphoned to upstate...and i have way too many stories to comment on here!
    If a federal monitor is put in place...we must also assure the continuation of NO corrupt influence, to undermine it, by selecting a chief judge from far, far away from the big controlling city!
    Sorry, I don't mean to offend you people from NYC, but we other NY'ERS must have a chance at a decent government that views are needs...ALSO, while assuring you NYC'ERS that you will have a fair jduicial system..please let us try!

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  17. JUDGE KAYE IS AS USELESS AS TITS ON A BULL.

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  18. The corruption is just as great outside NYC. Plumadore's chambers are in Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. Plumadore moved up because he has a blind eye for corruption. The entire upstate appellate courts are corrupt. The great Saint Andrew was promised to come to our rescue, but it appears either he or his horse aren't up to facing the dragon.

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  19. Corruption in the courts? What corruption in the courts? There's no corruption in the courts.

    Corruption is defined as the process by which something is changed from its original use or meaning to one that is regarded as erroneous or debased.

    The courts are designed to make us lawyers, and our friends, the most money possible. That's the way it is set up, whether you like it or not. And there's been no change in, or to, that purpose. So there is no corruption.

    You people are ignorant.

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  20. The largest judicial districts outside of NYC ,are Rochester and Buffalo...we need to have the operation run from there for once!
    If ignorant lawyer doesn't mind..let's try and see if he can make his money the way he likes to from these venues!
    Upstate is not even greatly corrupt, so it would be more desirable to have a choice from here...we do have more ethical judges than NYC...I guarantee!
    The junk and loser judges are the female administrative judge's cronies and political connections... so we will just ignore all of them...I know who they are!
    Give upstate a chance at correcting some of the BS going on now, until a federal monitor is in place!

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  21. I voted for Margarita Lopez Torres and I don't want her to go anywhere. Maybe some people want to promote her but that's a big mistake for us here in Brooklyn.

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  22. how are the insiders like Kaye and her crew going to compromise Torres? I know the bastards are going to try. They can't really deal with someone of color who can't be bought.

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  23. Jan Plumadore...as he is designated in NY STATE as a judge, has not only a blind eye towards corruption, but has fully partipated in it's operation.

    I happen to have in WRITING, violations of Plumadore's oaths, of both his atty and judicial offices! I also am in possession, as well as many other legal investigators, documents that state that he believes, condones and authorizes the legal view, that opposes the basis of our sacred American constitution...GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT!

    Yes...I have his own signed statements with that very information, boldly stated and signed by him!

    Plumadore also condones and believes in, the lack of due process for anyone he sees, that is a threat to the exposure of the NY STATE COURT SYSTEM'S criminal, civil and contrary activity!

    Plumadore may have been promoted because he had a blind eye...but for a blind eye man, he certainly could hear enough to put him in the center of Kaye's organized crime ring!

    Plumadore may not be known to NYC to any great extent, but to upstate, he certainly is our reporting judicial slug. His visits here are rare..because Saratoga is not a suburb of the 7 and 8th judicial districts, but his heavy hand of corruption reaches this far and wide!

    I will state that upstate and central state..all need administrative judges from their areas, to control the uncontrollable judges, running the wild, wild west in these parts!

    No corruption will be contained without representation that has knowledge of the area and access to the people...just in case we need to take justice into our own ...let;s say lives!

    Not bad for a non-lawyer...right Plumadore...the case didn't need just a superior mind of the law!

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  24. I wonder if "Proud Member of the Bar" would actually step in to a Real Bar or Public Gathering in front of the multiple folks who have come forward with legitimate instances of corruption and see if he could "Take the Heat" or if he would go Limping away? It is that type of Arrogance that believes the Court system is "For the Judges and Lawyers" to get Wealthy that is the Crux of the problems in NY State. Hopefully the Administrator of this Blog will track down his Blog Entry so his Cases and Practice can be scrutinized.

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  25. Judge Plumadore is scheduled for the inner circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno. How many honest judges are there? The number is diminishing. One rotten apple spoils the barrel and when 99% of the apples are rotten, the whole barrel needs to be thrown out. Where is Saint Andrew; did he lose his pair?

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  26. an HONEST JUDGE what in the world are you talking about? She wasn't the party gal. If she left Bklyn a great many people would be happy because business as usual could resume. You know many of the lawyers are starving now because of this Torres.

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