In less than 40 days, New Yorkers will be back at the polls. Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Aimeé Johnson has been hard at work in recent months meeting local borough lay leaders as she vies to fill a vacancy at the Queens Surrogate Court in Jamaica. As Cassandra traveled across the county, the Jewish community was foremost on her list, and she won the endorsements of Queens County Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks and District Leader Shimi Pelman early on.
This past Sunday morning, the Kew Gardens Jewish community had the honor to meet Cassandra at the home of Aaron and Malka Cyperstein, where she met Council Member Lynn Schulman, Pesach Osina (the Jewish Liaison to NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams), Rabbi Daniel Pollack (the Clergy Liaison to the 102nd police precinct), Rabbi Avrohom Hecht of Project Lead, Bikur Cholim of Richmond Hill organizer Benjy Ginsberg, R’ Yitzchak Katz of Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, Gideon Levy, Shmuel Schechter, Michoel Schechter, and Rabbi Chaim Schwartz of the VHQ.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, State Senator John Liu, Assembly Member Sam Berger, Council Members Jim Gennaro, Linda Lee welcomed Cassandra at the Nettie Mayersohn Way street-naming, and at the QJCC Pre-Pesach distribution, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Assembly Member David Weprin, Council Member Lynn Schulman, and Met Council CEO David Greenfield welcomed Cassandra as she embraced the signature diversity of Queens. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and District Leader Facia Class also endorsed Cassandra.
Cassandra’s election would be historic, making her the first woman to hold the coveted judgeship. New York’s Surrogate Court hears cases involving various adoptions, and some guardianship cases, as well as those involving the property of individuals who have passed, including the administration of collecting and distributing estates, inter vivos trusts that were formed during the settlor’s lifetime, and testamentary trusts that arose after death often via the will. Furthermore, the court handles the probate of wills, where Cassandra will determine the validity of the document as the decedent’s Last Will and Testament, and wrongful death cases.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
