NY governor names new chief judge nominee after first pick fails

By Andrew Goudsward

(Reuters) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday nominated a judge to lead the state's highest court after lawmakers rejected the Democrat's previous pick from her own party.

Rowan Wilson, an associate judge on the Court of Appeals, was named as chief judge of the same court, overseeing the state's sprawling state judicial system. If confirmed, Wilson would be the first Black judge in the post, replacing Janet DiFiore who stepped down in August.

"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.

Hochul nominated Caitlin Halligan, a former New York solicitor general and current partner at law firm Selendy Gay Elsberg, to fill Wilson's current role.

Both Wilson and Halligan were recommended as candidates for the chief judge post by a New York state panel after the state Senate in February voted down Hochul's first nominee, appellate Judge Hector LaSalle, in an unprecedented rebuke of Hochul by members of her own party.

Democratic lawmakers and progressive groups criticized LaSalle's record as too conservative on abortion rights and unions. LaSalle maintained that previous rulings were mischaracterized.

Wilson was nominated to the Court of Appeals by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in 2017. He was previously a partner at New York-based law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Wilson said in a statement that "protecting the rights of New Yorkers is my top priority."

In one of his recent past cases, Wilson dissented from a 5-2 ruling last year holding that animals do not have the same legal rights as humans in a case involving an elephant named Happy at the Bronx Zoo.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by David Bario and Richard Chang)