Rowan Wilson Confirmed as New York’s Chief Judge After Hochul’s First Nominee Blocked

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: New York Governor Kathy Hochul joins other politicians and Jewish leaders for a conference addressing the rise in antisemitic incidents across the United States at the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan on December 12, 2022 in New York City. The conference was hosted by the Orthodox Union and comes as the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks anti-Semitic behavior nationwide, found 2,717 incidents in 2021. This represents a 34 percent rise from the previous year. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The New York Senate has confirmed Rowan Wilson as the next chief judge of New York State.

The Democrat-controlled state Senate confirmed Wilson with a 40:19 vote. He will lead the Court of Appeals, the highest court of the Empire State, and the state’s court system.

Wilson, 62, succeeds Judge Janet DiFiore who resigned in August.

He has been an associate judge of the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, since 2017.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped him earlier this month to lead the seven-member high court and oversee the state’s judicial system. The confirmation vote caps months of conflict between Hochul and her fellow Democrats in control of the Senate over the direction of the court.

Wilson’s confirmation leaves a vacancy for an associate judge on the top court.

Hochul said she intends to nominate former state solicitor general Caitlin Halligan, who is currently a partner at a New York City-based law firm, to fill the associate judge vacancy.

Wilson’s nomination came after Hochul’s first choice, Hector LaSalle, faced a barrage of criticism from liberal senators and their allies, who criticized decisions he made as an appeals judge.

In an unprecedented move, the Senate rejected LaSalle in February.

Prominent Democrat Joins Republicans to Object

Most Democrats applauded Wilson’s confirmation.

“Rowan Wilson is among the highest legal intellects I have ever encountered and has an approach to decision-making that reflects the best of what our society deserves,” state Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris said in a statement. “He will be a groundbreaking jurist who will elevate New York’s Court of Appeals to its rightful and historical place as a leader in American law.”

Hochul congratulated Wilson after the confirmation and said she looks forward to “working closely with him to elevate the esteem of our State’s highest court, protect New Yorkers’ rights and safety, and ensure that justice is administered.”

However, former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, a prominent Democrat in New York, said Wilson has “poor judgment” and that one of his rulings makes it harder to convict rapists in the New York State.

Republicans criticized Wilson for his liberal jurist record and described him as an “activist judge.”

“That result, I think, is egregious. I think it’s a misapplication of the law,” said Sen. Anthony Palumbo, the ranking Republican on the committee.

Democrats have praised the Harvard Law School graduate’s record on civil rights, labor, and environmental issues.

Wilson also dissented in a top court ruling last year that rejected new congressional maps, which had widely been seen as favoring Democrats.

That dissent has alarmed some Republicans because the Court of Appeals could possibly one day consider a Democrat-backed lawsuit seeking to compel the redrawing of New York’s congressional boundaries. The current maps are believed to have partially helped the GOP regain control of the U.S. House last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.