Viorel Florescu/for New York Daily News Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore has been nominated to become chief judge of the Court of Appeals. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, she revealed that she has a concealed carry permit.
ALBANY — New York's top court is on the verge of having a pistol-packing top judge and another Republican.
During a confirmation hearing Wednesday, Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore — Gov. Cuomo's nominee to become chief judge of the Court of Appeals[1] — revealed that she owns a gun and holds a concealed carry permit.
The revelation came in response to a question about her views on gun control.
"The law on the Second Amendment is clear and I appreciate that as a law-abiding gun owner," DiFiore, a Democrat said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved DiFiore's nomination and sent it to the full Senate, which is expected to take it up Thursday.
GOV. CUOMO NOMINATES WESTCHESTER DA JANET DIFIORE TO BECOME NEXT TOP JUDGE[2]
Within hours of Judiciary Committee's vote, Cuomo announced that he'd nominated former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia, a Republican, to fill a second vacancy on the court.
"Michael Garcia is a talented, experienced, and skilled prosecutor who will make a tremendous addition to the Court of Appeals," Cuomo said.
Garcia served as a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2005 through 2008 and is perhaps best known for the prostitution case that brought down former Gov. Eliot Spitzer. He was also the attorney hired by the Senate Republicans to represent them against Cuomo's now-shuttered Moreland Commission.
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia will fill a second vacancy on the Court of Appeals. He will be the second Republican judge on the top court.
Garcia's nomination is Cuomo's sixth to the top court and the first time he's chosen a Republican. The seven member court only has one current Republican — Judge Eugene Piggot.
DiFiore was chosen by Cuomo to replace retired Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman.
During Wednesday's hearing, several senators questioned DiFiore about her close ties to Cuomo.
DiFiore insisted she would be an independent jurist and take each case on the merits.
"You have my word that I will be working closely with my partners here in the Legislature as well as in the executive branch, always mindful — and I believe I have a record that supports this — of my role representing the judicial branch and always promoting independence in fact and in appearance," DiFiore said.
The hearing's most awkward moment came when Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Queens), after praising DiFiore's record, closed by saying "you look much better than your picture."
DiFiore and others in the room laughed before moving on to other questions.
References
- ^ Gov. Cuomo's nominee to become chief judge of the Court of Appeals (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ GOV. CUOMO NOMINATES WESTCHESTER DA JANET DIFIORE TO BECOME NEXT TOP JUDGE (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ andrew cuomo (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ gun control (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ janet difiore (www.nydailynews.com)
