The state Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its confirmation hearing on Monday to consider the nomination of Judge Rowan Wilson to become New York's next top jurist.
A day later, the panel hear from Gov. Kathy Hochul's nomination to fill Wilson's current spot on the Court of Appeals, attorney and former state Solicitor General Caitlin Halligan.
The hearings taken together are expected to go far smoother for Wilson, as well as Halligan, after the rejection earlier this year of Hector LaSalle by the Democratic-led state Senate.
Hochul nominated Wilson this week to lead the court weeks after LaSalle's nomination failed both in the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as before the full chamber.
The dual nominations are being enabled by legislation Hochul also approved this week that allows for an accelerated process for Court of Appeals nominations if one candidate's selection creates a vacancy.
LaSalle's nomination was troubled nearly from the start, with Democratic lawmakers announcing their concerns and outright opposition to his becoming chief judge. Progressive advocates and labor unions also opposed his candidacy.
Wilson, however, has received a far warmer reception from progressives as well as top Democrats in the state Senate. If confirmed, he would be the first Black chief judge in New York history.
The confirmation hearing is also being held against the backdrop of the Democratic lawmakers considering an end to the appointed commission that selects a slate of potential judicial nominees.