A CIVIL COURT BATTLE

CANDIDATES DUEL WITH RESUMES AND ENDORSEMENTS By Carolyn Braff At some point in their lives, Manhattan residents are likely to come in contact with the Manhattan Civil Court, or People's Court. The judges handle civil disputes-non-criminal, non-matrimonial cases up to a subject matter of $25,000-that range from commercial accidents to credit card debts. "It's generally agreed that for Civil Court, you need good judicial temperament, patience, a thorough knowledge of the law and a skill at applying the law," explains Darrel Paster, treasurer of the New York County Democratic Party. "A compassion and understanding for the people that have cases that come before the court are also necessary." September's primary race will be between Nancy Bannon and Michael Katz, both law secretaries to Supreme Court justices who were approved by independent screening panels earlier this summer. The current judge, Shirley Kornreich, was elevated to an interim seat on the Manhattan Supreme Court in May, creating the vacancy. The primary winner will most likely win the seat, as the district-which runs between East 110th and 59th streets from Fifth Avenue to East River, including Roosevelt Island-is heavily Democratic. Nancy M. Bannon For 22 years, Nancy Bannon has worked in New York courts, including the Appellate Court, Criminal Trial Court, Civil Trial Court and Small Claims Court. Though she only needs 10 years of experience to be a Civil Court judge, she feels that two decades in the field makes her more than doubly qualified for the position. "It is unusual for a candidate for the Civil Court to have worked in all of those courts, especially the Appellate Division, as well as in private practice," Bannon said. While Bannon was studying at Brooklyn Law School in 1986, she took a judicial internship that launched her interest in becoming a judge. She began her courtroom career in the Criminal Court of the City of New York, then moved on to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in Brooklyn, where she oversaw criminal and civil cases ranging from homicides to commercial real estate transactions. For the past six years, Bannon has worked in the trial courts, serving as Principal Court Attorney to Justice Deborah Kaplan in the Criminal Court of the City of New York, and then the Supreme Court-Civil Branch. She believes this breadth of experience has prepared her to handle any Civil Court case. "You don't know what you don't know until you have all this broad experience," Bannon said. "When you're elected to Civil Court, a good number of the judges are assigned to Criminal Court, and I am prepared either way. I will be able to go in there with much lower learning curve than my opponent." Bannon noted that her opponent, Michael Katz, is on his way to gaining her level of experience, but at this point in his career, "He is where I was 10 or 12 years ago." State Sen. Thomas Duane, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh and Council Member Daniel Garodnick have all endorsed Bannon for Civil Court, along with several Democratic clubs and the court officers union. Though approved by the New York County Democratic Party's independent screening panel, Bannon was not endorsed by the party. Bannon recognizes the importance of receiving endorsements from politicians and political clubs, but her membership in neighborhood and civic associations, she said, is what shows voters that she is qualified. "I strongly believe that my community involvement has sensitized me to local community issues that will better enable me to serve that community as a Civil Court Judge," she said. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="Michael Katz snagged the endorsement of the New York County Democratic Party. Photo By: Carl Krutchfield"][/caption] Michael L. Katz With a nickname like the People's Court, Michael Katz feels that a judge in the Civil Court must understand the city's residents as well as the law. Having spent his 15 years as an attorney supporting diversity initiatives and public advocacy, Katz is using his community clout to position himself as the best candidate for the bench. Katz began his legal career in a legal service clinic for the elderly, representing senior citizens who had been wrongfully denied government benefits and other entitlements. He was recognized for his community involvement while at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, winning the Jonathan Weiss Award for Public Interest Advocacy. Since then, Katz has spent more than 15 years as a court attorney, first as an arbitrator for the small claims part of the Civil Court, then as Principal Court Attorney for Judge Barbara Kapnick, both in the Civil Court of the City of New York and in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. His experience in the Civil Court exposed him to nearly every area of civil law, employing his mediation skills to settle disputes between both attorney-represented and self-represented parties. "Michael has been in effect running a courtroom for 15 years," said Arthur Graeg, chair of the Law Committee of the New York County Democratic Party, which endorsed Katz. Respect for Katz extends outside of the courtroom, as well. Katz racked up endorsements from a slew of elected officials and 15 Democratic clubs, including the 504 Democratic Club, which focuses on disability rights. "Given the fact that I have worked with persons with disabilities in the past, that was a nice personal moment," Katz said. "I have significant experience not sitting in a library contemplating the law in the abstract, but working to help resolve cases in the courtroom every day," he added. Of all of Katz's qualifications, Darrell Paster, treasurer of the New York County Democratic Party and of Katz's campaign, pointed to his amiable personality as a vote-getter. "He is extremely even-handed, well informed and conscientious," Paster said. "The way he acts has impressed a lot of candidates over the years, and he is a very popular choice among lawyers."