Gov. Hochul nominates Rowan Wilson to be New York’s new chief judge in wake of LaSalle loss

ALBANY — Gov. Hochul on Monday nominated Rowan Wilson, an associate judge serving on the state’s highest court, to be the next chief judge of New York.

The pick comes weeks after the governor’s first choice to lead the state’s sprawling court system, Hector LaSalle, was shot down by Senate Democrats in an unprecedented rejection.

Wilson, 62, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2017, would be the first Black chief judge in state history if confirmed by the Senate.

“Judge Wilson’s sterling record of upholding justice and fairness makes him well-suited to lead the court at this critical time,” Hochul said in a statement.

The governor also nominated Caitlin Halligan, 56, a lawyer who previously served as state solicitor general from 2001 until 2007, to fill the remaining vacancy on the Court of Appeals.

The seven-member panel has been one judge short since the sudden resignation of former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore last summer.

A recent Hochul-sought change approved by the Legislature allows the governor to select an additional person from the short list compiled by the Commission on Judicial Nomination should a sitting Court of Appeals justice, such as Wilson, be elevated to chief judge.

Hochul signed the measure Monday.

The governor’s fellow Democrats indicated that Wilson will have a much smoother path to confirmation than LaSalle, who was rejected by lawmakers concerned that his judicial record showed him to be too conservative for the post.

Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, praised the new picks in a statement released moments after Hochul announced her intention to nominate Wilson and Halligan.

“Associate Judge Rowan Wilson is an accomplished and well-respected jurist on the Court of Appeals, with a long and distinguished record in the private sector,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. “Similarly, Caitlin Halligan, a former New York State solicitor general, has decades of experience in both the public and private sectors and has an excellent reputation in legal circles.”

LaSalle, who would have been the first Latino to lead the state’s court system, drew opposition from progressive lawmakers as well as labor unions and other groups who felt he would continue to steer the court to the right.

Initially, Senate Democrats refused to grant LaSalle a full floor vote after rejecting his nomination during a committee hearing in January. That prompted a lawsuit from Republican lawmakers, which resulted in a Long Island judge determining that future nominees must get a vote by the full chamber. LaSalle was formally rejected in a 39-to-20 vote on the Senate floor in February.

Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) also commended Hochul’s new choices.

“He is exactly the type of person who can restore the integrity and reputation of the Court of Appeals after the damaging tenure of the previous administration,” Gianaris said of Wilson. “I look forward to hearing from these nominees and voting for their confirmations in the coming days.

Wilson, previously confirmed by the Senate in 2017 while it was under Republican rule, is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He was a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore for 25 years and also served as chairman of Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, which provides legal services to the Harlem community, for 21 years.

“Serving as chief judge of the Court of Appeals would be the honor of my career, and I am humbled by this nomination from Gov. Hochul,” Wilson said in a statement. “Protecting the rights of New Yorkers is my top priority, and I look forward to working with Gov. Hochul and our partners throughout the judiciary system to manage our courts and deliver justice.”

Halligan is currently a partner at the law firm of Selendy Gay Elsberg and received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Prior to serving as solicitor general, Halligan was head of the internet bureau in the state attorney general’s office and previously served as general counsel to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“Now more than ever, our courts must be a place of integrity, fairness and justice for all, and I am committed to upholding those values if confirmed to the court,” she said in a statement.