The Brooklyn Democratic Party Executive Committee voted Aug. 3 to endorse four judges seeking election to the New York State King's County Supreme Court, backing the candidates as part of the party's judicial nominating process.
The committee endorsed Judges Betsey Jean-Jacques, Hemalee Patel, Sherveal R. Mimes and Lola Waterman during a meeting chaired by Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. The endorsements represent the party leadership's support for the candidates as they move forward in the Democratic nomination process for Supreme Court seats in Kings County.
The four judges bring experience from the New York City Civil Court and other areas of the state court system. Jean-Jacques took office in January 2024 following a special election and currently presides over family matters in Kings County Supreme Court. She also serves as president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County.
“Our courts are the bedrock of our community and the people of Kings County deserve justices who lead with unshakeable integrity and profound legal insight,” said Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
Patel joined the New York City Civil Court in January 2025 after serving as a court attorney-referee in Richmond County Supreme Court, where she managed matrimonial matters. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School, New York University and Brooklyn Law School, she has spent her legal career in New York City's court system.
Mimes has served on the Kings County Civil Court for five years and currently presides over civil cases. She was elected to her current term in 2023 and continues to oversee a broad range of civil matters.
Waterman assumed office in January 2024 after her election to the New York City Civil Court in November 2023. Before joining the bench, she practiced estate planning, immigration and elder law. She is also a board member of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and is affiliated with the Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The endorsed judges will continue through the party's judicial nominating process before candidates are placed on the general election ballot.
