Insurgent Candidate Beats Party Pick In Queens Civil Court Race

QUEENS, NY — Attorney Lumarie Maldonado Cruz defeated her party-backed opponent in the Democratic primary for Queens civil court judge Tuesday, dealing a blow to the powerful Queens County Democratic Party.

Maldonado Cruz, who works for the New York State Supreme Court and moved to Queens shortly before the election, won about 62 percent of the vote, according to the NYC Board of Elections' preliminary results.

Results posted just before midnight Tuesday showed over 43,000 votes for Maldonado Cruz and about 26,000 votes for her opponent, defense lawyer Wyatt Gibbons.

Typically the Queens Democratic Party chooses candidates for judicial openings and they run unopposed. But Maldonado Cruz, inspired by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's upset victory last year, launched a bid to contest one of the four open slots in Queens.

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"Historically, in Queens County, when you get designated you run unopposed," Gibbons told Patch by phone earlier this month. "This time, for the first time in almost 40 years, someone decided to challenge one of the spots. That's what's making me run and a mount a campaign."

The city's civil courts deal with "everyday legal problems," mainly cases involving less than $25,000. The relatively informal small claims court, which deals with matters involving under $5,000, is also part of civil court.

Civil court judges serve 10-year terms, during which they're assigned to different court divisions, known as "parts," or to do miscellaneous court work. Assignments may include family or criminal courts.

Election results won't be official until after the NYC Board of Elections finishes counting about 3,400 outstanding ballots, according to NY1.

That won't be enough to change the outcome of the civil court race, though it could affect results in the tight race for Queens district attorney.