On February 4, I participated in a hearing as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to review the nomination of Jenny Rivera, Professor at the City University of New York School of Law, to serve on the New York State Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. Professor Rivera has had a long and distinguished career in public service, including as a staff attorney at Legal Aid Society of New York City, as an Associate Counsel for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She was Commissioner of the NYC Commission on Human Rights from 2002 to 2007. In 2007 she joined the Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as Special Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights. Professor Rivera founded CUNY Law's Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality in 2008. I am proud to support this outstanding nomination to the Court of Appeals and commend Governor Cuomo for his selection. Please see my comments on Professor Rivera's nomination in the Reuters story here [3].
