Greenfield Inducted as Part of Class of Six New Civil Court Judges in Manhattan
Allison Greenfield was greeted with a standing room only courtroom crowd during her induction ceremony as one of Manhattan’s six new civil court judges. She had served six years as a court clerk to Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the Donald Trump fraud trial.
| 20 Dec 2024 | 03:19
Rowan Wilson, Chief Justice of the NYS Court of Appeals, was among the speakers at the induction ceremony of Allison Greenfield, one of six new civil court judges in Manhattan elected in November. She officially takes office on Jan. 1. (
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The court room was packed with well wishers at the induction ceremony of Allison Greenfield. She spent six years as the law clerk to Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the Donald Trump business fraud trial. (
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A bench of her own–The Civil Court room was packed to capacity with members of the judiciary, court colleagues, family, friends, followers, and community members who came for the induction of Allison R. Greenfield as a Judge of the Civil Court of the City New York.
After six years as Principal Law Clerk to New York Supreme Court Justice Hon. Arthur F. Engoron, Greenfield would be joining him and Greenfield’s predecessor Principal Law Clerk Hon. Kathleen Waterman-Marshall as a member of the judiciary. Waterman-Marshall administered the Oath of Office to Greenfield as a Civil Court judge. Among the judges whose presence was acknowledged at the induction was retired Supreme Court Justice Martin Schoenfeld. I guess you could say Schoenfeld started the esteemed cycle back in 1991 when Arthur Engoron was his Principal Law Clerk.
Allison Greenfield’s election to the bench is a proud moment for the NY judiciary and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals Hon. Rowan Wilson spoke as did Engoron and Hon. Adam Silvera and Hon. Suzanne J. Adams, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for NYC Courts and Administrative Judge, NYS Supreme Court, NY County, respectively. Other speakers included William Smith, District Leader, Part D, 68th District, and Barry Weinberg on behalf of Hon. Keith L. T. Wright, County Leader NY County Democratic Party. A very New York-y event.
Greenfield ran unopposed in the Democratic primary in Feb. and was one of six candidates vying for six seats in the Nov. 5 election. She officially takes office with the rest of the new judges on Jan. 1.
Looking stunning–and euphoric–in an elegant black pants suit, Greenfield thanked the voters for making it all possible and remembered her grandmother, Catherine Smith, “who would have loved this,” and Al Handell, who she said was “one of my earliest supporters, who sadly passed before he could celebrate our victory.” Al would have loved it, too.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the Donald Trump fraud trial last year, Trump had made disparaging social media posts about Greenfield, then a court clerk to Judge Engoron prompting him to impose a limited gag order prohibiting Trump from making comments about court employees. Engoron twice fined Trump $15,000 for violating the order. Trump is appealing the 34 count fraud conviction and the $454 million penalty.
The match is on–The first round of campaign matching funds has been announced by the Campaign Finance Board. Here we focus on CD 4. Decision as to eligibility is based on total funds raised through October 2024. In the CD 4 race, candidate Rachel Storch opted out and will not be receiving funds. Candidate Virginia Maloney entered the race in November and was not in the running for funds for the first cycle.There are eight funding dates through election. Since Storch opted out, the other candidates are eligible for increased matching funds.
In the first round, candidate Ben Wetzler came out on top. Through October, he raised $37,984 and total funds dispersed to him: $174,800. Next in fundraising prowess was Faith Bondy. She raised $40,324 in the same period and received matching funds of $147,972. Vanessa Aronson raised $39,758 in the same period and received $130,538 in matching funds. Lukas Florczak, who raised $4,151 in the same period was not eligible for matching funds in the first cycle. Storch, who opted out, and Maloney who wasn’t in race in the first cycle, received no funds.
I reached out to all candidates–whether they opted out, didn’t receive, or weren’t in the race in the eligibility cycle and heard back from Wetzler and Bondy. Here goes:
Wetzler: “I’m very proud of my grassroots, locally-drive fundraising effort. I think it reflects the depth of my connection to the district and my experience working here, and I’m glad I’ve now got the resources I need to start talking to voters about how I have the experience needed to make NYC a safer and more affordable city.”
Bondy: “Our first round of funding from the Campaign Finance Board is a testament to our support from District 4 residents. We are proud to have received the largest percentage of in-district donations of any of the qualifying candidates in the race. The momentum behind our campaign continues to grow, and we’re excited to take our message to voters across our community.”
Campaign funding relies on the number of NY donors and the number of Manhattan donors. Wetzler had a total of 276 NY Donors, and 190 Manhattan Donors. Bondy had a total of 186 NY Donors and 170 Manhattan Donors. Aronson had a total of 206 NY Donors and 178 Manhattan Donors. While Storch and Florczak had Manhattan and NY donors, they were not considered because they weren’t eligible for matching funds. Nor was Maloney who wasn’t in race during the eligibility cycle.