Overview
Established by the New York State Constitution, the Commission screens candidates for vacancies on the Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court. When a vacancy on the Court of Appeals occurs or is known to be imminent, the Commission broadly solicits applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of the citizenry of the State of New York, and then considers all interested candidates. From these candidates, the Commission selects, based on merit, a slate of well qualified nominees which it forwards to the Governor. The Governor then selects a candidate whose nomination is forwarded to the State's Senate Judiciary Committee.
This website includes: descriptions of the Commission's role and operation; a list of the Commission's members; the legal sources for the Commission's mandate; a list of all historical nominees forwarded to the Governor since the Commission's inception; and all Commission press releases from 2007 to date.
When the Commission is engaged in the process of soliciting candidates for a vacancy on the Court, this website also contains application forms that can be used by interested candidates.