Long Island

Politics

Huntington Conservatives are looking to clear the way for electing recently appointed District Court Judge Marian Tinari, who is married to town Conservative chairman Frank Tinari.
The minor party has already made a cross-endorsement deal in which Democrats are backing Tinari for the $156,200-a-year post. In exchange, sources say, the Conservatives put forward at least one of their own party members as a town board candidate. That move would help Democratic town board incumbent Susan Berland, who is expected to run with the Independence and Women's Equality lines.
Democrats also named for town board Keith Barrett of Melville, an auto repair shop owner who heads the Huntington Station Business Improvement District.
Sources say Conservatives also offered to back Independence Party town board member Gene Cook if he can persuade the GOP to support Tinari. But Conservative cross-endorsement talks with Republicans broke down when town GOP chairwoman Toni Tepe wanted Conservatives to back the entire town GOP ticket.
Some Democrats remain nervous because Conservatives, by inserting their own candidates, could have them later decline the nomination should a deal materialize with Republicans.
Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone earlier this year appointed Tinari to replace District Court Judge G. Ann Spelman who left three years before her term was up. Tinari is running in November for full six-year term.

Tinari

Huntington Conservatives seek to elect chair's spouse judge

comp

I have known Marian Tinari for 39 years. Regardless of our muddled system for electing judges, she is one of the most qualified candidates to sit on District Court and is well qualified for the higher courts in the county as well [“The making of a judge, Long Island-style,” News, July 31]. 
Having sat on the Suffolk County Bar Association’s judicial screening committee, and being frequently asked to comment on New York State and federal appointees, I can say Tinari has all the qualifications a screening group looks for in a candidate. 
That said, the entire election system of judges is not working or workable. I say this from the perspective of having litigated all the way to the Court of Appeals in an attempt to restore Suffolk residents’ right to pick our own district attorney. There is no way voters can fill judge positions in a responsible way. 
When bar association committee members, who number more than 20, interview judicial candidates, they frequently walk into the room as total strangers to the committee. Other than the rough screening done by the bar association, there is no system of qualifications or avenue for a voter to get to know candidates. The bare-minimum legal qualifications for the job do not screen out the unqualified candidates nor identify those who are highly qualified. 
It’s time we adopted the systems used by the state to fill the Court of Appeals and by the federal government. When someone from the governor’s office contacts me to learn about the candidate, it’s someone I’ve had numerous cases before in the course of many years, and I’m well qualified to comment on his or her legal abilities and character. This is how judges should be selected, by a neutral committee evaluating real qualifications. 
Even though a highly qualified candidate like Tinari occasionally slips through under the current process, it’s a failed system. 
Maureen S. Hoerger, Islandia 
Editor’s note: The writer has been a trial lawyer for 40 years.

Opinion

Letters

OPLTR0804

Letter: New York’s way of choosing judges is flawed

SLVOTE

Justice is blind.
But political patronage sure as heck isn’t.
So what are Suffolk residents to make of a Newsday report Sunday that shows the county’s judicial selection process to be pretty much a patronage mill? A complex web of a mill, with the machinations that virtually guarantee election of favored candidates.
One of the questions raised by the report:
Are judicial slots, like heirlooms, passed along to political “family” members?
In 2010, political leaders, in a rare move, agreed to give a District Court spot vacated by a Republican to a Conservative — with a promise that when the Conservative stepped down, the seat would revert to its “rightful” owner, the Republicans.
The deal went south, however, four years later after a Republican leader attempted to hold a Conservative leader to the agreement, according to the report. But that’s not the norm: Usually when judges of one party step down, they are replaced with judges of the same party, the report said.
Has a Tammany Hall-era reform — “fusion voting,” which was supposed to give minor political party candidates a boost against Republicans and Democrats — morphed into hard knots of cross endorsements that deny voters choice?
Marian Tinari, a Conservative married to county Conservative Chairman Frank Tinari, gained a six-year term as a District Court judge — even before elections were held last fall.
How did she pull off such a feat? Pay attention, now:
Tinari’s, husband, Frank, then the Huntington Conservative party leader, went to the Huntington Town Democratic leader, Mary Collins, with a deal. His party would back two Democrats in exchange for Democrats backing one Conservative candidate in 2014. The deal also called for the Democrats to endorse a Conservative judicial candidate in 2015, who would end up being his wife.
Talk about a long game.
In March 2015, Tinari was appointed to a vacancy on District Court to fill out the three-year term of a retiring judge; by November, her candidacy to a six-year term was bullet proof — with the her husband’s Conservative Party, along with Republican, Democrat, Independence and Reform, cross endorsing her candidacy.
Is it any wonder she had no challenger?
James Sample, a Hofstra University law professor who has studied judicial selection, best characterized such selection of judges. “It’s unseemly, it’s unbecoming; but it’s legal and business as usual for New York state judgeships,” he said.
But doesn’t Nassau do the same thing?
Well, yes — but not to the same degree — which keeps Nassau’s process political but not as hardened as Suffolk’s.
In Nassau, according to Newsday’s report, about 10 percent of judicial candidates in the past 10 years were cross endorsed by major parties; in Suffolk, the percentage is 25 percent — which would appear to give Nassau the more competitive system. 
Except — as voters, no doubt, have noticed — that the rate of cross endorsements is accelerating for both counties. Between 1996 and 2005, one judicial candidate in Nassau and 31 in Suffolk were cross endorsed by major parties; in the past 10 years, the numbers jumped to 25 candidates in Nassau and 63 in Suffolk.
What happens come November?
Well, the parties will have made your selection for you, with cross endorsements for all four of Suffolk’s higher court spots — one County and three Family — that are up come Election Day.
And the mill grinds on.

Columnists

Joye Brown

LIJOYE0802

Patronage reigns in judicial selection

Brown: Patronage reigns in judicial selection

tinari

How LI Judges Win Races Before They Start

Newsday

judgeships

Most Popular

Latest videos

Politics video slot

The poll found wide suburban disillusionment with President Donald Trump, comparable to his numbers in urban districts. Local Republicans say they're seeing enthusiastic support. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'Make sure that my voice is heard'

New York Attorney General Letitia James visited Newsday's headquarters, where she spoke about the Cornell University rape investigation that she is leading. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa has more.

'The politics stop at the door'

On Tuesday night, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican rival Bruce Blakeman squared off in the only campaign debate of the gubernatorial election. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Hochul, Blakeman clash in only debate

A Newsday analysis finds U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino has taken the third-most trips paid for by special interest organizations of all U.S. House members this year. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa and Newsday Congressional reporter Billy House have the story.

'More than $37,000 spent'

Sign up for the Politics newsletter

Politics newsletter widget

Long Island Article Bottom Module

Strong and Safe New York, founded by New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan, has raised more than $10 million to support Blakeman.

Dark-money group sends $2 million to super PAC supporting Blakeman

The poll found wide suburban disillusionment with President Donald Trump, comparable to his numbers in urban districts. Local Republicans say they're seeing enthusiastic support.

Poll finds Democratic enthusiasm eclipses Republicans' in battleground suburbs

Whether influencers are paid is largely based on the word of campaigns and influencers.

Blakeman courts influencers, Hochul taps Mamdani as social strategies diverge in governor's race

The settlement grew out of a lawsuit filed by the Hasidic Jewish organization over the village's rejection of a special zoning exemption for a proposed community and education center.

LI zoning law change mandated in federal settlement with Village of Atlantic Beach

The numbers were disclosed at an announcement promoting safe driving near school buses.

Drivers were hit with over 75,000 summonses for illegally passing buses in Suffolk last year

AME members are expected to receive a 17% pay raise over five years.

Suffolk reserves $43M to settle contracts with 2 unions, budget director says

Politics Video Playlist

Bruce Blakeman leads Kathy Hochul by 8 points on Long Island, but trails by 9 points statewide in the race for governor, according to recent Newsday/Siena University polls. NewsdayTV's Doug Geed reports.

'Affordability is likely the number one issue'

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced utility discounts for up to half of all households in the state. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called the energy rebate a scam. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'Half of all households are eligible'

New York State is mailing out energy rebate checks between $100 and $200 to taxpayers who qualitify. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'A check is always nice. A little more would be nicer.'

Newsday NYS correspondent Keshia Clukey gives insight on what local governments are asking from New York State.

Local governments say they will override 2% tax cap

The law would require businesses to have proper state licensing, prove that their employees are paid and ban staff from living at the spas or sleeping there overnight. Repeat offenders could face penalties up to $25,000. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'It's personal to me'

The county executive had not shown his hand as a state law banning cooperation agreements went into effect. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'This law is completely misguided'

President and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center Thomas Stokes explains the problems caused by the aging infrastructure within the hospital. Newsday Associate Editor Joye Brown reports.

'You could have a catastrophic failure'

Nassau is one of two counties in the state that have refused to come into line with the law. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Likely that the issue will wind up in court'

Homepage Trending

Halloween events on LI

2026 LI Voters Guide

Wallet Watch

Working Moms

Politics videos

Poltics vertical videos

Lawyers for Oscar Belgal say he is in desperate need of surgical attention for the bullet lodged in his neck. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Disregard for care'

Gov. Hochul gave Newsday an exclusive interview at the Melville newsroom about the ICE shooting in NYC. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger has more.

'We have to return our streets back to normalcy'

Santos Banegas Reyes, a 42-year-old ICE detainee, died in Nassau County Jail last year after staff provided "inadequate medical care," a federal report found. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'My reaction to the report is outrage'

Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, could impact quarter of a million Long Islanders who rely on it. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'I would struggle'

In an interview with Newsday, Suozzi said he was talking about creating a permanent legal work authorization for non-citizens who've been living in the country for 10 years. Newsday Washington D.C. reporter Billy House has more.

'Just foolishness'

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

Luxe apts. got tax break without affordable housing ... Suburban voters and midterms ... LI employs 90% of highest paid government employees ... County on hook for $70M for dangerous intersection

Luxe apts. got tax break without affordable housing ... LI employs 90% of highest paid government employees ... County on hook for $70M for dangerous intersection

Suburban voters and midterms ... Only in Newsday: Luxe apts. got tax break without affordable housing ... LI 'Shark Man' arrested ... Jets/Dolphins preview

Suburban voters and midterms ... Only in Newsday: Luxe apts. got tax break without affordable housing ... LI 'Shark Man' arrested

App Nativo Ad Unit Slot

Politics - megaslot

Follow Long Island and NYS politics from local elections and races to legislation to reaction to national events.

Most Popular

Latest videos

Politics videos

Stay logged in.