504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for Civil Court Manhattan Paul George Feinman's response)

Candidate Name: Paul George Feinman

Candidate for: Re-election to the Civil Court in the 1 Municipal District, Borough of Manhattan

Campaign Manager: Joanna Saccone

Phone: 917-204-9082

Campaign Name: The Committee to Re-elect Judge Feinman

Campaign Address: c/o David A. Caraway, Esq., Treasurer, 1372 Broadway, (1402) New York, N.Y. 10018

Phone: 917-975-3611

Email: ReelectFeinman@aol.com

Previous elected offices held: Civil Court Judge, 1 Municipal Court District, elected November 1996

Previous appointed offices held: Designated Acting Supreme Court Justice - January 1, 2004

Key endorsements to date:

Found "Highly Qualified" by the Manhattan Independent Judicial Screening Panel.

Political leaders:

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney;
Congressmember Jerrold Nadler;
NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn;
State Senator Thomas Duane;
State Senator Martin Connor;
State Assembly Member Deborah Glick;
State Assembly Member Dick Gottfried;
State Assembly Member Pete Grannis;
NYC Council Member Aran J. Gerson;
NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez;
District Leader Brad Hoylman;
District Leader Keen J. Berger;
David Reck;
District Leader Adam Silvera;
District Leader Linda Belfer;
District Leader Alice Cancel;
District Leader Jenny Lam Low;
District Leader John Quinn;
District Leader Tom Schuler;
District Leader Mary Dorman;
State Committee Member Rachel Lavine;
State Committee Member Larry Moss;
State Committee Member Doris Corrigan

Political Clubs:

Downtown Independent Democrats;
Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats;
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club;
Lower East Side Democratic Club;
Stonewall Democratic Club;
United Democratic Organization;
Village Independent Democrats;
Village Reform Democrats

Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.

From the 8 through the 12 grades I wore a Milwaukee back brace to correct a genetic spinal condition. This steel and leather brace reduced my mobility and restricted my physical activity. Wearing this brace, which was extremely visible, was one of the formative experiences of my adolescence. It taught me firsthand about the stigma associated with visible disabilities in our society.

In 2004 I took a three month medical leave of absence after some emergency surgery performed. Upon my return, after another round of surgery, for almost a year, I was on restriction regarding the amount of weight I could lift. Consequently, I had to require attorneys to place certain pleadings in electronic format. However, this was not a visible disability. This was an educational experience on how people react to dealing with a request for an accommodation to a non-visible disability.

I have also dealt with the issue of my parents' disabilities in regard to their vision, hearing and mobility impairments as they have aged. I also have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the untimely death at the age of 38 of a sibling due to a genetic heart condition. Over the years, I have also had numerous friends who developed different physical and mental disabilities as a complication AIDS. These have included blindness, paralysis and dementia.

In 1996, as the then-President of the Lesbian and Gay Law Association, I led the Board of Directors in developing, adopting, and implementing a resolution regarding wheelchair accessibility to events and meetings.

In the course of the last ten years, I have had to address the issues of disabled litigants, lawyers, jurors and non-judicial personnel. All were addressed by making use of reasonable accommodations.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign? Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing if necessary?

During petitioning, I only used volunteers. As of now I am unopposed for the Democratic nomination and in the general election. Therefore, there is no active campaign. However, I have no theoretical opposition to the use of flex-time or job sharing. In fact, it can often lead to happier and more productive employees.
If you are in private practice, is your office accessible to people with disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?

Not applicable.
Is the courthouse in which you work accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?

I primarily work in 80 Centre Street and have chambers in 111 Centre Street. A few years back, 111 Centre Street underwent renovations to make it A.D.A. compliant. However, the placement of Jersey barriers for security purposes remain a physical impediment to that courthouse. In 80 Centre Street, the courthouse has not, in my view, been properly renovated. However, there are lawyers who have appeared in wheelchairs and the Administration deems the building to be accessible.

The courthouse does have devices design to assist the hearing impaired and access to sign language interpreters. I am unaware of any TTD phone lines as of now.

The well of most courtrooms are not wheelchair-friendly. Consequently, I often conduct conferences and motions from a table in the well of the courtroom or in my robing room, rather than at the bench, which requires attorneys or litigants to be able to climb a step.
Has a person with a disability appeared before your court as a juror or litigant? If so, please indicate what, if any, challenges arose? And how were they handled?

Yes. I have undertaken different steps on several occasions depending on the nature and degree of the disability at issue. Sometimes, simply rearranging the traditional seating arrangement was all that was needed to accommodate a juror or lawyer's hearing impairment. In 80 Centre Street, we often require the use of an amplification system for testimony. In 111 Centre Street I have used the court's Assisted Listening Devices available in the Clerk's office for either a juror or a witness.

Early in my tenure I was assigned to the Criminal Court, I occasionally went to hospitals to conduct arraignments for individuals not physically able to appear in court.
Do you believe that a deaf or a blind person can serve as a juror? Why or why not?

Yes, with reasonable accommodation. Jury service has been successfully completed to my knowledge with hearing and vision-impaired jurors, and I see no legal reason why it should not be able to be done by a deaf or blind person, with reasonable accommodations, so long as he or she is believes himself or herself able to communicate his or her views of the evidence effectively to the other jurors during deliberations. Obviously, if an interpreter were to be used, he or she would have to be sworn to the same obligation as a juror regarding not discussing the case prior to the conclusion of deliberations. Blind persons have served as judges, and therefore there is no logical distinction that would preclude a blind person from serving as a juror.
Are you willing to hire on a job share or full time basis, a qualified law clerk/secretary with a disability?

Yes.
How will you work within the court structure to assure the accessibility of all facilities of the courts? For example, participation in the Committee for People with Disabilities, relevant training opportunities?

I currently sit on the Supreme Court, New York County's Antibias Committee, I also try to document any accessibility issues by email to the administration, if the administration is not made aware of problems, they are able to maintain that the accommodations already provided are sufficient Thus, it is important that any deficiencies be pointed out to them.

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