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General Election

ELECTION WAS NOV 3

Judge of the New York City Civil CourtManhattan Civil Court District 7

Uncontested

4 candidates are running for 4 seats. You can also write in a candidate whose name isn't printed on the ballot.

Four candidates on the ballot for four Manhattan Civil Court seats

Four seats are up, not two as at the primary, after a new judgeship was added and a retirement opened another seat. Democratic county committee members were called to a July 12, 2026 meeting to choose nominees for two vacancies.

OverviewRecordMoney
Professional record

4 candidates · experience, selected cases, and evaluations

AT

Aija Tingling

Civil Court judge sitting in state Supreme Court, New York County (Feb. 2026) · Admitted to the New York bar in 2006

On the Fair Courts ballot line in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.

Full profile →
Professional experience

Civil Court judge elected from this district in 2016; as of Feb. 2026 she was presiding over civil cases in the state Supreme Court in New York County, one of the courts where Civil Court judges may sit. Before joining the bench she was a lawyer at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith.

Career & documented work

Bar admission & conduct

Bar admission

Admitted 2006 · North Carolina Central University School of Law

NYS Attorney Registrations (data.ny.gov) ↗
Judicial conduct

No public determination naming Aija Tingling in the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's determination database (checked Sept. 30, 2026).

NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct — public determination list ↗
KE

Keshia Espinal

Supervising judge, Kings County Criminal Court · Admitted to the New York bar in 2001

On the Democratic line in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.

Full profile →
Professional experience

Supervising judge of the Kings County Criminal Court in Brooklyn, the first woman and first person of color in that post, and a New York City Criminal Court judge since May 2017. Before that she was a prosecutor in the Queens County District Attorney's Office for 16 years.

Career & documented work

Bar admission & conduct

Bar admission

Admitted 2001 · Western New England University School of Law

NYS Attorney Registrations (data.ny.gov) ↗
Judicial conduct

No public determination naming Keshia Espinal in the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's determination database (checked Sept. 30, 2026).

NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct — public determination list ↗
ML

Matthew Levy

Democratic nominee · Career details not found

On the Democratic line in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.

Full profile →
Professional experience

On the Democratic line in this Civil Court race. No biographical or career details were found as of Sept. 29, 2026.

KC

Karen Cortes-Tower

Court attorney referee, Bronx Family Court (2026) · Admitted to the New York bar in 2004

On the Democratic line in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.

Full profile →
Professional experience

The Family Court career listed here, a New York City Family Court judge whose appointment by Mayor Bill de Blasio was reported in Jan. 2019 and who was listed in 2026 as a court attorney referee in the Bronx County Family Court, is that of a Karen Cortes. This dossier's researchers matched that career to her; the Uptown Community Democrats support a Karen Cortes for a 7th Municipal District Civil Court seat and the Manhattan Democratic Party's screening panel reported out a Karen Cortes for vacant Civil Court seats, but no source found as of Sept. 29, 2026 gives both names for one person.

Career & documented work

Bar admission & conduct

Bar admission

Admitted 2004 · Brooklyn Law School

NYS Attorney Registrations (data.ny.gov) — registration of Karen M.C. Cortes ↗
Judicial conduct

No public determination naming Karen Cortes-Tower, Karen M.C. Cortes or Karen Cortes in the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's determination database (checked Sept. 30, 2026).

NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct — public determination list ↗