People have been asking for a copy of Sue Adlers speech nominating Judge Walsh to be the Democratic Party candidate for Supreme Court. Here it is. Thanks, Sue Rosenshein Adler for sending it: Walsh Nominating Speech: September 19, 2014 My name is Sue Adler. I am an attorney with the law firm of Young Sommer Ward Ritzenberg Baker & Moore; litigator for more than 30 years; I am also a proud member of the Board of Education for the City School District of Albany and it is my honor to nominate Judge Margaret Walsh to be our party candidate’s for Supreme Court Justice for the 3rd Judicial District Judge Walsh was born and raised in Albany and spent all of her professional life here • For almost 15 years before being elected to Family Court, Judge Walsh worked in private practice doing civil and criminal litigation • Judge Walsh was an Assistant Albany County Public Defender • Judge Walsh was also an Assistant Corporation Counsel to the City of Albany • And Judge Walsh was an Assistant Commissioner of the City’s Department of Assessment and Taxation • Judge Walsh first elected to the Albany County Family Court in 2004 • In addition to her sitting on the bench in Family Court, for the past almost 6 years, Judge Walsh has been an Acting Supreme Court Justice. • For all these years, Judge Walsh has displayed the temperament and integrity that has made her a highly respected and accomplished member of the bench. • Judge Walsh is so highly regarded and respected that she was asked to take over the Integrated Domestic Violence Court in Rensselaer County and she performed that assignment is an exemplary manner. • Judge Walsh serves on the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics • Judge Walsh is a member of the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children, chaired by former Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye • Judge Walsh also chairs and is a member of several other State and local Court committees too numerous to list if we want to get out of here by dinner Suffice it to say Judge Walsh has the greatest depth and breadth of experience of any candidate from any party: Remember why we are here today - Our goal is to nominate a candidate who can defeat the Republicans in November And, who is the candidate that the Republicans are nominating? A Woman! They made a calculated decision to win in November by nominating a woman To drive home this message, the Republicans put out a press release a couple of days ago – the clear language in their press release eliminates any doubt about their motives: Why a woman? As the Republicans say: There are currently no elected, female trial judges serving in the Third Judicial District, which extends from the Capital Region into the Hudson Valley and Pennsylvania state border. Again, it is the Republicans who are saying this, not us And what else are the Republicans saying? They are nominating a candidate who can bring the soft, personal touch to a justice system that is often seen as intimidating and confusing, someone who will treat people with care and dignity Well, this is exactly what Judge Walsh has been doing the past 10 years on the bench Who is this Republican candidate? A woman who served as an Ulster Assistant Public Defender, an attorney for its Dept of Social Services, an assigned counsel to non-English speaking litigants, and a Family Court attorney. It looks like the Republicans went to Central Casting and asked for a candidate who most resembles Judge Walsh. And why? As the Times Union said: the Republican candidate and her supporters feel that she can add the much needed diversity to the bench. That’s our platform, our core values, and we cannot let them steal it for their playbook‼ The Ulster County Chairman emphasized that their female candidate will solve the problem of there being “no elected women judges on the bench in the Third Judicial District.” As he stated: “I really believe that we’ve got a great chance at winning this year. It’s high time that the voters of this district put a woman on the bench, and we have a very qualified one running this year.” This message was echoed by the Rensselaer County Republican Chair. That is our message and we cannot let the Republicans co-opt it More than half of law school graduates are women More than half the voters in Albany County are women Women are a political force, women organize, women influence the men around them, and women vote A recent survey showed that women voters are the key to everything this year. Republicans understand this and they are making it a campaign issue Where the Democratic voters had the opportunity to cast ballots in this primary, they made their choice clear – listen to the voice of the people In addition to having the support of our voters, Judge Walsh brings with her the support of established, long-time Democrats:people like Regina Treffeletti, a law clerk for 15 years in this court, who for the last 10 years served as liaison between the Administrative Law Judge and the Judges of this District; James Gaughan, Mayor of the Village of Altamont; John Clarkson, Bethlehem Town Supervisor; Members of the Albany County Legislature; the City of Albany Common Council; and the Troy City Council. We can take away what the Republicans have made clear will be their biggest campaign issue in this race -- the lack of women on Supreme Court But unlike the Republicans, we will be nominating the woman who will be the most qualified candidate on the November ballot As the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan said in her speech at the 1976 Democratic convention, “we are the party of inclusiveness, not exclusiveness” It is time to move past the process that got us here To move past resentments, hurt feelings, rifts, feeling disrespected We cannot give the Republicans on a silver platter their biggest campaign issue We cannot let them co-opt our values, our beliefs, our message It is time to bring our party together Time to focus on the future, time to focus on winning in November In the moment before you cast your vote, think not about personal feelings, political relationships, or promises that may have been made Think instead of whether you are willing to cede to the Republican Party the ideals for which we Democrats have always stood – Think of the message sent if today it is the Republican Party, instead of us Democrats, that nominates a woman Think of what you will hear on the news, read in print media, see in every Republican ad between now and November, Ask yourself whether you want to hold onto the seat, a Democratic seat, an Albany County seat that decides election law cases, cases involving State government If you want to elect a Democrat to the bench this November, you must look past your personal feelings and vote to nominate Judge Walsh to represent our party and all we stand for on this November’s ballot. It is now my great honor to nominate and, to introduce, Margaret Walsh to be the next Supreme Court Justice for the 3rd Judicial District.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 22:24:15 +0000
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