New York state Senate chamber. Photo Credit: Westpoint/CC

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, will serve as the next chairman of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Democratic Conference announced Tuesday morning.

The position will give Hoylman wide-ranging power over appointments to the judiciary that require a vote in the Senate and legislation that impacts the state’s court system.

It’s the first time a Democrat will chair the committee since former Sen. John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, chaired the committee in 2010. It’s also the first time a member of the LGBT community will hold the post.

Hoylman is currently the highest-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Sen. John Bonacic, R-Orange. Republicans lost majority control of the State Senate in this year’s general election when Democrats flipped eight seats in the chamber. Democrats now hold a firm majority.

Republicans will now have to choose who will lead their conference on the Judiciary Committee. Bonacic chose not to seek re-election earlier this year and the conference has not announced its picks for committee leaders.

Hoylman’s new position will afford him more power to advance legislation directly affecting the state’s court system. That legislation more often involves changes to the state’s civil practice law rather than criminal procedure law, which is typically amended by the chairman of the Senate Codes Committee. State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, D-Bronx, was selected to head that committee.

The position is not always hands-off when it comes to criminal justice issues, especially when it comes to the administration of the state’s courts. The committee is known to handle legislation that affects court employees, such as court officers, who work in the state’s criminal courts. Hoylman has also introduced a bill that would allow jury trials for low-level misdemeanors in New York City, which is currently not mandated.

Hoylman, who was first elected to the State Senate in 2012, has been known to be outspoken when it comes to issues involving the judiciary, the environment, human rights, gun control and government ethics.

He sponsored a bill during the last legislative session that would have capped the amount of income lawmakers are allowed to earn outside of their government salary. That concept was recently adopted by a special committee tasked with regulating the pay of lawmakers. He’s held positions as the ranking Democrat on the Government Operations and Environmental Conservation committees as well.

Hoylman was not immediately available for an interview on his new position Tuesday morning.

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