Oneida County executive aims to keep federal judgeship in Utica

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. has come out against a proposal from U.S. Se. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, that would see a replacement for a federal judgeship be from Albany and not the Utica area.

President Joe Biden nominated Jorge A. Rodriguez July 13 to take the place of Judge David N. Hurd, who has served in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York since 1999, according to the United States District Court website.

Hurd had indicated last year that he intended to take senior status, a type of semi-retirement federal judges over 65 who have served at least 15 years may take. Hurd said he would make the career move "upon the confirmation of my successor," according to a Nov. 1, 2021 letter to Biden.

Rodriguez would be the first Hispanic judge to preside over the Northern District, according to the White House.

However, the day after Rodriguez's nomination, Hurd, 85, wrote to the Biden administration to immediately withdraw his intention to take senior status, expressing his viewpoint that his successor should live in the Utica area, and serve out of the federal courthouse there, according to OD archives.

Picente, a Republican, stated Monday he had sent a letter on the issue to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on the matter, asking him to engage in the matter.

Oneida County must not be forgotten in Albany, Picente said.

“It is an essential piece of our justice system to have representation in the Mohawk Valley, Oneida County and Utica when it comes to the federal judgeship in our U.S. District Court,” Picente said in a statement. “The appointment of someone from the Capital District, who we are well aware will not preside in our area, is a blatant attempt to steal a judgeship from our region and move it to the Capital District.”

Picente went on to state he applauded Hurd for taking a “principled stand to ensure the federal judgeship stays where it belongs.”

New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, has also voiced frustration on the judgeship possibly leaving the Utica area.

Hurd is one of 16 judges serving in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, which has offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse, and Utica. There are currently two active district court judges in Syracuse and two in Albany, along with one — that being Hurd — in Utica.

“It has always been the expectation that Judge Hurd’s successor would sit in the Utica courthouse, and Jorge Rodriguez has committed to doing so,” said Jess Fassler, Gillibrand’s chief of staff, in a statement to the USA Today network earlier this month.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County official aims to keep federal judge in Utica