The Brooklyn Democratic Party Executive Committee voted to nominate four candidates for the New York State Supreme Court at their nominating convention held on Aug. 6.  

The nominees will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. In all, 170 judicial delegates selected the four nominees through a vote held at the Marine Park Golf Course before a crowd of roughly 250 attendees, according to the Brooklyn Democratic Party. 

One of the roles of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee is to select candidates to run for Civil Court and the New York State Supreme Court. The process involves extensive vetting and approval, including meetings with district leaders and a review of each candidate's qualifications before the candidates are presented to the County Committee Body for a vote. Typically, this vote takes place after each candidate participates in a judicial candidate forum that is open to the public and to voters from the candidate's respective district. 

According to a report by Legal Clarity, the NY Supreme Court has a keen and attentive election process unlike any other judicial election. It utilizes a nominating convention rather than a standard primary election. Rather than voters electing these judges in a primary election, Judicial Delegates vote to nominate the judges to the ballot at the convention. 

Judicial Delegates are significant because they can make sure voter preferences are represented in the nominating process. The report further noted that “the convention system dates back to a 1921 change in the Election Law that replaced direct primaries for these seats with party-run nominating conventions.”

“The idea was that a group of locally elected party representatives would vet candidates more carefully than a low-turnout primary could. In practice, the system concentrates selection power in a relatively small deliberative body rather than the general electorate,” said the report. 

But the Brooklyn Democratic Party sees the election of judges as vital to protecting the courts’ integrity.

“Over the past decades, we have seen a degradation of our judicial system on the federal level where we don’t have the opportunity to vote for who actually gets to be our judges on that Supreme Court.  And we see what it has done to our rights across this county. Fortunately for us as residents of Kings County and Democratic members of the party, we do have the opportunity to vote for judges,” said District Leader Josue Pierre of the 42nd Assembly District, in an interview. 

District leaders have an important role in selecting judges as representatives of their constituents, which further echoes the report findings. 

“I take a lot of pride personally with my club and the 42nd Assembly District, when we have candidates that do come and meet with the people, connect with them, share their stories and have a common bond with the community,” Pierre added prior to casting his vote for the candidate of his respective district. 

The judicial delegates cast their votes in support of Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, Hon. Lola Waterman, Hon. Hemalee Patel, and Hon. Sherveal Mimes. Prior to the convention, each of these candidates had the opportunity to contest their candidacy at the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s virtual candidate forum on July 29. 

“Our courts are the bedrock of our community, and the people of Kings County deserve justices who lead with unshakeable integrity and profound legal insight,” said Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “I am incredibly proud to champion this phenomenal slate of candidates, knowing they will bring a deep commitment to equal justice and fiercely protect the rights of every Brooklynite.”

The nominees expressed gratitude to the party leadership and the committee for approving their candidacies. 

They included Waterman, a highly experienced legal professional and community advocate with a diverse, robust background in estate planning, immigration, and elder law. She took office as a judge for the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024. 

Waterman earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School after completing her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, and currently serves as a board member for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, alongside her involvement with the Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“To all of the district leaders, judicial delegates, alternate delegates, thank you for all that you do.” said Waterman, in her speech after her confirmed nomination. 

Mimes has been on the Kings County Civil Court bench for five years and has built a strong reputation for fairness, efficiency, and judicial integrity, according to the Democratic Party. 

“I understand and I know that this endorsement and nomination process requires a lot of your time, your thoughts, it means listening to your communities and your delegates, it means accessing the qualifications and experiences of many of us who were presenting ourselves for this nomination,” Mimes said.

Jean-Jacques brings nearly two decades of dedicated legal experience to the bench. She officially assumed office as a judge of the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024. She is an active and respected leader in the local legal community, notably serving as the president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County.

“I am the daughter of a Haitian immigrant. I cannot express how blessed I feel and how happy I am that you chose to support me,” Jean-Jacques said. “In today’s climate, to be a Haitian child of first Haitian immigrant when sometimes not everybody gets to dream, and today I am living that dream.”

Finally, Patel — born in India and raised in New York City — was first seated on the Civil Court bench in Kings County in 2025. She previously served as a court attorney-referee on Staten Island, and received her judicial degree from Brooklyn Law School. 

“This is such an amazing display of democracy of work and I am so honored to be a part of it. I am so honored by this nomination,” said Patel.