Tri-County Bar Association committee rates nominees for the Court of Appeals

The Tri-County Bar Association Judicial Screening Committee, which is composed of selected members from the Bar Association of Erie County, Monroe County Bar Association and the Onondaga County Bar Association, has sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the Committee’s ratings for seven nominees under consideration for associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals.

The committee conducted personal interviews with each candidate on June 7 at the State University at Albany. Together with an evaluation of each candidate’s background, written submissions, judicial temperament, legal ability and experience, legal writing, character and fitness, work ethic and impartiality, the Committee rated the nominees as follows:

• Eric O. Corngold, attorney in private practice at Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP, qualified.
• Paul G. Feinman, associate justice, First Department, highly qualified.
• Judith J. Gische, associate justice, First Department, highly qualified.
• Rosalyn H. Richter, associate justice, First Department, highly qualified.
• Mary Kay Vyskocil, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, highly qualified.
• Troy Karen Webber, associate justice, First Department, highly qualified.
• Gerald J. Whalen, presiding justice of the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Fourth Department, highly qualified

The vacancy was created by the death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam.