Richard C. Wesley: Voting and Opinion Patterns on the New York Court

Richard C. Wesley: Voting and Opinion Patterns on the New York Court

Professor Vincent M. Bonventre analyzes the voting practice of New York Court of Appeals Judge Richard C. Wesley in both criminal and civil cases. A contradiction presents itself when this record is looked over: while Judge Wesley is stanchly conservative in his criminal voting history—that is, he votes in favor of the prosecution—his civil record reflects a propensity towards civil liberties. Indeed, Judge Wesley votes almost three times as often in favor of individual rights or entitlements in civil cases than he did in criminal ones. While his civil record can hardly be considered “liberal”, it has liberal leanings. This conflict is reviewed in detail from both the lens of criminal and civil cases.

Albany Law Review

2003

PDF

English

Vincent Martin Bonventre, Todd A. Ritschdorff & Erika L. Bergen, Richard C. Wesley: Voting and Opinion Patterns on the New York Court - Center for Judicial Process, 66 ALB. L. REV. 1065 (2003).