Manuel J. Mendez was elected to Civil Court in 2003, appointed an acting Supreme Court justice in 2010, and elected to Supreme Court in 2012. He served as coordinating judge of New York City Asbestos Litigation before his 2020 appointment to the Appellate Division, First Department.

• Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department, appointed July 27, 2020.

• The Manhattan Democratic Party's July 2026 release reported him as most highly qualified by its Independent Screening Panel; this is an attributed screening evaluation, separate from an endorsement.

• As coordinating judge of New York City Asbestos Litigation, he handled a docket of thousands of complex products-liability and toxic-tort cases.

• As a trial judge, he presided over hundreds of civil trials, including the 91st Street Crane Collapse Litigation, described by the court as the longest trial in the city's history and possibly the state's.

• New York City Civil Court judge, elected 2003; assignments included Kings County Civil Court (2004–05), New York County Civil Court (2005–08) and Bronx County Criminal Court (2009–10).

• Former senior staff attorney, Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division; later founding partner of Kwasnik & Mendez and founder of the Law Offices of Manuel J. Mendez, P.C.

• Fordham University, B.S. in public accounting, 1983; Universidad Central del Este School of Law, J.D., 1987.