Judge Rowan Wilson confirmed to lead NYS Court of Appeals
ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — After a process that was more drawn out than usual, New York now has its pick for its next chief judge of the Court of Appeals secured.
The state senate -- voting Tuesday to confirm Rowan Wilson for the job.
The vote was along party lines.
All Democrats voted in favor - all Republicans voted against.
Wilson spent Monday in the hot seat, being grilled about his past decisions.
Some raised concerns about a rape conviction he overturned.
This confirmation comes weeks after Gov. Hochul's first pick for the job -- Hector LaSalle -- was rejected by senate Democrats after they viewed his judicial record as too conservative.
The governor says she was proud to nominate Judge Wilson.
Her statement reads "throughout his tenure on the bench, he has proven himself to be a thoughtful leader who recognizes the power of the judiciary to impact the lives of all New Yorkers."
Tuesday's confirmation was not without some fireworks.
Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, a Democrat, blasted senate Republicans for what she called disappointing "tone and tenor" during this process.
On the senate floor Tuesday, local state Sen. Jim Tedisco, a Republican, says he disagrees with Democrats on what kind of chief judge New York needs.
“We don't need a philosopher as a judge in this state or anywhere else, at a local or federal level. We need a judge that is learned of the laws we make. A separate branch of government.”
Wilson has been an associate judge of the court of appeals since 2017.
He will be the first black chief judge of the court of appeals in our state's history.