New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during his inauguration ceremony on Ellis Island on Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo: David Handschuh/NYLJ).

Five new justices were appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday to the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court in all four of the state's judicial departments.

The five new appellate justices, which add ranks to the state's current panel of judges in each appellate court, are not subject to confirmation by the State Senate.

Each were sent to Cuomo for consideration by the Judicial Screening Committee in each Appellate Department of the state. Cuomo said he chose the five justices announced Friday based on their work in law.

"These appointees represent some of the best and brightest legal minds in the Empire State, displaying exceptional integrity, temperament and commitment to public service," Cuomo said. "I am proud to appoint these judges to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and am confident they will do a great as stewards of New York's judicial system."

The Appellate Division, Third Department, received two appointments from Cuomo, while the other three departments added one judge.

Supreme Court Justice John Colangelo, of the Ninth Judicial District in the lower Hudson Valley, and Justice Molly Reynolds Fitzgerald, the administrative judge of the Sixth Judicial District in the Southern Tier, will be the newest judges at the Third Department.

The Third Department, based in Albany, regularly handles cases involving workers' compensation and the state Board of Parole, since each entity is within its jurisdiction. The Third Department covers the Capital Region, the North Country, the Southern Tier and areas of the Hudson Valley.

The court handles a variety of other cases within its boundaries as well, and has been known to hear challenges to state laws and regulations that are appealed from Albany County Supreme Court.

Colangelo was first elected to the state Supreme Court in 2013, and was previously a judge in Westchester County Court. Before his time on the bench, Colangelo was in private practice at Colangelo & Goldenberg.

Fitzgerald has been administrative judge of the Sixth Judicial District since 2016, and was first elected to the state Supreme Court in 2007. Before her election, Fitzgerald was a partner at law firm Smyk & Fitzgerald in Binghamton, and has also practiced in Elmira and Athens, Georgia.

The Appellate Division, First Department, in Manhattan will add Justice Lizbeth González to its panel. González currently sits on the Appellate Term, First Department, where she's been since 2016. She also serves as a state Supreme Court justice in the Bronx.

Before her work in the state Supreme Court, González served, at different times, at the New York City Family Court, New York City Civil Court, and the Housing Part of New York City Civil Court. She previously worked in the New York Attorney General's Office and the New York City Corporation Counsel's Office.

The Appellate Division, Second Department, will now have Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten among its ranks. The Second Department, which handles more litigation than any other appellate court in the state, presides over appeals from Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley.

Wooten has served as a justice of the state Supreme Court in Brooklyn since 2009, and was previously in private practice as the owner of Paul Wooten & Associates.

Wooten also served in a number of positions related to state government and politics, including as counsel to the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, special assistant to members of the New York City Board of Education, and chief of staff to the vice chairman of the state Democratic Party at the National Convention.

Earlier in his legal career, Wooten served as counsel to the New York State Assembly Committee on Children and Families and was chief of staff counsel to Assemblyman Albert Vann, a Democrat who represented parts of Brooklyn for more than two decades.

The Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Western and Central New York will gain Justice Tracey Bannister, who's currently a state Supreme Court justice for the Eighth Judicial District. Bannister was first elected to the position in 2008, and has been supervising judge for civil matters in the district since 2016.

Before her election to state court, Bannister was an acting justice of the Kenmore Village Court in Erie County. She clerked for Justice Jerome Gorski, who served on the Fourth Department. Bannister was previously a trial attorney with the Law Office of Richard Binko, a personal injury firm in Buffalo.

The appointments take effect Monday, according to Cuomo's office.

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