Rivera to Paterson: I Told You So – Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera calls on Governor Paterson to reject the recommendations for Chief Judge and releases letter sent earlier this year to the Governor warning of lack of Hispanics serving as judges throughout New York

The longest-serving Hispanic lawmaker in New York, Peter M. Rivera, today is calling on Governor David Paterson to reject the recommendations of the Commission on Judicial Nomination for nominees for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals because the list proves that the Commission’s lack of diversity has biased and influenced its selection process to the point of insulting the majority of New Yorkers; women and minorities.

According to Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, “This is not a new problem for women and minorities in New York. The clear under-representation of Hispanics serving in judgeships throughout our state has been well documented. It has also been brought to the attention of the Governor via a letter I sent to him in October of this year indicating the deep concern Hispanic leaders have on this issue.” Rivera continued, “It appears that the letter never made it out of the in-box at the Governor’s Office. His staff should have shared it with all judicial review committees in our state.”

“It is clear that the Commission must submit another list to the Governor that takes into account all of the great talent and diversity we have in New York,” declared Rivera.

The October 23, 2008 letter to the Governor that Rivera is releasing to the press stated, “Not only are Hispanics tremendously under-represented at all levels of state government workforce, we are also grossly absent from judgeships throughout our court system. The current status of Hispanics serving as judges in our state is very discouraging and I and many of my colleagues look to you for diligent leadership on this problem.”

Rivera, who sits on the Assembly Judiciary Committee and is a past-president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association, stated in the letter, “The information above is just a synopsis of the problem which is highlighted by the reality that when we consider the fact that with over 2 million Hispanics living in Bronx and Manhattan Counties, there are no Hispanic Judges in the Appellate First and Twelfth Districts.”"

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