I did not submit the paperwork to be reviewed for a rating by any bar association. Because I did not do this I will be rated as an "unqualified" judicial candidate. This does not mean that I am really unqualified, it just means that I refused to comply with the application process. I would rather get an "unqualified" rating than to submit an onerous application to a panel that has no authority over me and my candidacy for civil court judge. Let me explain. The local bar associations are deeply tied to the Democratic Party machine. I have always avoided them. I have a lot of respect for City Bar and NYSBA, however, and have served as Judge Coordinator for the National Moot Court competition for the former, as well as Secretary of the Professional Disciplinary Committee for the latter. Despite my long associations with both of these fantastic organizations, I still believe strongly that the voters are the only people who are qualified to rate the judges they will elect to serve them. We already have a formal selection process for judges and the bar associations' ratings are very helpful to that judicial screening panel. However, an election must be OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE & FOR THE PEOPLE to strengthen our Constitutional Republic. Do your own due diligence to reserach all candidates (not just the judicial ones) to see whose values align most with your own.
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