Judge of the New York City Civil Court · Manhattan Civil Court District 3

Uncontested

Steven Benathen is the only candidate on the ballot for this seat. You can also write in a candidate whose name isn't printed on the ballot.

One nominee for a Manhattan Civil Court seat opened by retirement

A judge in the district announced retirement after the filing deadline for designating petitions, so no primary was held and candidates were chosen by party nomination. Steven Benathen is the Democratic nominee.

Overview Record

How this race works

How the vote works: Voting is on Nov. 3, 2026. The Board of Elections' contest list, printed Sept. 11, 2026 and marked tentative, shows one judge to be elected in the district.
What the court does: The Civil Court decides lawsuits over money or property worth up to $50,000, small claims up to $10,000, and housing cases, including landlords' cases to recover possession of property and remove tenants.
Term: Civil Court judges are elected to 10-year terms by the voters of districts set by law within the city.
Why candidates take no positions: New York's judicial conduct rules bar judges and candidates for elective judicial office from making pledges or promises of conduct in office, or commitments about cases, controversies or issues likely to come before the court, that are inconsistent with impartially performing their duties as judges (22 NYCRR 100.5(A)(4)(d)).

Sources (6)

Candidate

Steven Benathen

Principal court attorney, Bronx County Supreme Court · Admitted to the New York bar in 2014

Democratic nominee, chosen by party nomination; no primary was held for this seat.

No endorsements beyond the Democratic line were found as of Oct. 1, 2026.

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Professional record

Experience, selected cases, and qualification assessments. Case coverage is still developing.

1 candidate · 0 selected case examples · 1 candidate with evaluations

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Researched & verified Oct 1, 2026. Compiled from verified public sources; claims that failed verification are excluded.

How to read our research & coverage

Sources (9)

vote.nyc data.ny.gov assets.nationbuilder.com law.illinois.edu nycourts.gov nysenate.gov nycourts.gov law.cornell.edu ballotpedia.org