Staten Island GOP wins appeal for S.I. Supreme Court candidates to be on the ballot – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Its official. The Staten Island Republican Partys candidates for the New York Supreme Court, Richmond County, will be on the ballot in Novembers general election.

Judge Ron Castorina and attorney Paul Marrone will represent the party in hopes of filling the two vacant seats on the New York Supreme Court in the 13th Judicial District (Richmond County).

On Wednesday, the 1st Department of the NY Supreme Courts Appellate Division ruled in favor of the Republican Partys appeal to have their candidates, Castorina and Marrone, on the ballot for the general election this November.

The Staten Island Republican candidate nomination documents filed this past spring were initially deemed invalid by the NYC Board of Elections (BOE), resulting in the candidates being left off of the primary election ballot in June. Last month, the BOE commissioners convened to review the case, and ultimately affirmed the validity of the documents.

Some Democrats contested the BOE commissioners decision. But with the Appellate Division ruling in their favor, Anthony Reinhart, chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, told the Advance/SILive.com that the GOP prevailed.

We have successfully defeated Staten Island Democrats attempt to throw our qualified candidates off the ballot, Reinhart said.

Staten Islanders have proven repeatedly that they want sensible jurists who will uphold the rule of law and keep the socialist, anti-law enforcement agenda out of the courtroom. The Staten Island Republican Party is continuing its tradition of putting forward well-qualified candidates who will serve this community with honor, integrity and fairness, he continued.

Local Democratic Party Executive Director James Clinton shot back at local Republicans, and touted his partys candidates Charles Troia, a court of claims judge. and Ann Thompson, a criminal court judge.

He pointed to Castorinas failed 2018 Surrogate Court bid when the New York City Bar Association declared him unqualified for the position, and the Richmond County Bar Association didnt offer an opinion. The candidate lost that race to former Assemblyman Matt Titone.

Both of our Democratic candidates are sitting judges and have been deemed qualified by bar associations in the past. I cannot say the same for my Republican friends, he said. Its a shame that Mr. Reinhart is seeking to politicize the bench with unqualified candidates for the Supreme Court.

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Staten Island GOP wins appeal for S.I. Supreme Court candidates to be on the ballot - SILive.com