Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed four judges to the Appellate Division, First Department, on Monday to fill vacancies. They include Supreme Court Justices Saliann Scarpulla, Manuel Jacobo Mendez Olivero, Martin Shulman and Tanya R. Kennedy.

The governor's office said the Judicial Screening Committee for the First Department reviewed applications and "conducted interviews of dozens of applicants." Only those applicants deemed "highly qualified" by the committees were submitted to the governor for his consideration, Cuomo's office said, noting that to be found "highly qualified," candidates must display integrity, independence, leadership, intellect, legal ability, judgment, temperament and experience.

The selected judges "reflect the diversity, talent and experience present throughout New York's judicial system, the governor's office said, adding it "will continue to review candidates that successfully advance through the screening process to fill vacancies" in the appellate courts.

Justice Scarpulla has been sitting in the Supreme Court, Manhattan Commercial Division, since February 2014. Last year, she was also appointed to handle all international commercial arbitration matters pending in the New York State Supreme Court.  Earlier in her career, Scarpulla practiced at Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn as a litigation associate, moved to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as senior counsel and then became senior vice president and bank counsel to Hudson United Bank. She returned to the New York State court system as principal court attorney to Justice Eileen Bransten. She was then elected to the New York City Civil Court in 2001, appointed to the state's Supreme Court in 2009 and elected to the Supreme Court in 2012.

Justice Mendez has been a state Supreme Court justice since his election in 2012 and has been since 2018 the coordinating judge of the New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL). Before his election, Mendez was elected judge of the Civil Court, New York County in 2003, and had served as a judge in the Civil Court from 2004 to January 2010. He presided by designation in Bronx Criminal Court from 2008 to January 2010, and as an acting justice of the Bronx County Supreme Court from January 2010 to January 2011, and then New York County until his election to Supreme Court in 2012. He was previously a solo practitioner from 1999 through 2003 and worked as partner in the firm of Kwasink & Mendez from 1993 through 1998. He was a senior staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division in the Bronx from September 1990 to October 1993.

Justice Shulman was first elected to the Manhattan Supreme Court in 2005, and in 2019 was re-elected for another 14-year term. He served as the presiding justice in the Appellate Term, a position Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks appointed him to in 2018. He first became a Justice of the Appellate Term in 2009. From 1999 to 2004, he served as an acting justice. In addition to his time with the Manhattan Supreme Court, Shulman was also a Judge at New York County's Civil Court from 1995 to 2014 and was appointed a supervising judge there. Before becoming a judge, Shulman practiced at real estate litigation firm of Shaw & Binder and held several positions at the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

Justice Kennedy has served as a justice of the Manhattan Supreme Court since January 2016, after election in November 2015. She was elected to Civil Court in November 2005 and then served in Criminal Court (January 2006-September 2008), Civil Court (September 2008-December 2009), Family Court (January 2010-December 2010), as acting Supreme Court Justice (January 2011-December 2012) and as supervising judge of Civil Court (January 2014-December 2015). As an acting Supreme Court justice, Justice Kennedy presided over an integrated guardianship and landlord-tenant calendar and conducted bench hearings on a daily basis from January 2012 to December 2013, the governor's office said. Before her clerkship with Justice Barry Cozier, she was an assistant corporation counsel in the Bronx Family Court Division (August 1992-August 1994) and in the Bronx Tort Division (August 1994-August 1997), where she was promoted to Assistant Deputy Chief.

In a statement, Cuomo said he was "proud to appoint four individuals whose exemplary service qualifies them to serve in the Appellate Division of New York's Supreme Court and wish them well in their work for New Yorkers in Manhattan and the Bronx."