New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has selected a midlevel appellate judge from Albany for the state's highest court.
Justice Leslie Stein, a jurist for the past 17 years, will replace Judge Victoria Graffeo on the seven-member Court of Appeals.
Graffeo's term is expiring next month. Her name was on the short list of seven potential nominees and the only Republican.
Cuomo cites Stein's judicial experience and says she has helped women, families, domestic violence victims and vulnerable New Yorkers have a voice in the legal system.
Her nomination is subject to a Senate hearing and confirmation.
Cuomo's first two nominees who are now on the court are also women.
The Court of Appeals reviews lower court decisions, interprets statutes and the state's constitution, and often makes case law.
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