The Brooklyn Democratic Party’s District Leaders last week nominated three Civil Court judges to fill newly-created seats: Tawanna M. St. Louis, Mark Kagan and Abayomi Ajaiyeoba Whint will now appear on the November general election ballot.
The nominee’s diverse backgrounds match their deep experience, according to a press release.
Abayomi Ajaiyeoba Whint, Esq., was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Brooklyn at age six. She is currently serving as a Legal Enforcement Attorney for the Fire Department of New York City, while doing pro-bono work and community initiatives.
Hon. Mark Kagan has served as Court Attorney for the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Brooklyn, since 1996, having drafted over 5,000 decisions, the press release said.
Tawanna M. St. Louis, Esq. is currently the Principal Law Clerk to the Hon. Cheryl J. Gonzales, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County, and also serves as a Small Claims Arbitrator in Kings County Civil Court.
Civil Court is often a Brooklynite's first encounter with the legal system, when they are facing intimate, important legal issues, and “we’re making sure voters are educated on who their candidates are, what they do, and how they understand their community,” said County Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
The nominations come on the heels of Governor Kathy Hochul signing a law in June expanding the number of judges appointed and elected statewide to alleviate a big backlog still stemming from the pandemic; adding 28 judges in total, with three new Civil Court judge seats granted to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
New York Civil Court Judges serve 10-year terms and hear cases involving monetary disputes of up to $50,000.
