Ciparik and Cannataro: Acting Chief Judge Anthony Cannataro of the state of New York (right) presents an award to former New York Court of Appeals Associate Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick.

                          As many observers would agree, this past year has been a tough one for judicial nominees to state and federal courts. "Much has been written about judiciary hearings playing to the media and targeting candidates on questions of judicial philosophy and ideology in particular," observed former New York Court of Appeals Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick on March 14 at the New York County Lawyers Association's 106th annual gala—the first time the bar association group held the event since 2019. "We saw that with the U.S. Senate Confirmation hearing of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the more recent New York Senate Judiciary hearing of Presiding Justice Hector LaSalle," Ciparick continued, according to prepared remarks posted on NYCLA's website. "We witnessed the line of questioning and the intense scrutiny into qualifications and ideology and the lack of understanding of the role of on appellate judge." Ciparick delivered her remarks while being presented with NYCLA's William Nelson Cromwell Award by her former law clerk, Acting Chief Judge Anthony Cannataro of the Court of Appeals. Other awards recipients at the event—where New York City Mayor Eric Adams was on hand to deliver opening remarks—included U.S. Magistrate Judges Stewart Aaron and Barbara Moses of the Southern District of New York, who were each presented with the Boris Kostelanetz President's Medal, which draws its namesake from a New York attorney who was dubbed the "dean" of the tax bar.