Queens judge postpones hearing on challenge to incumbent Assembly member's spot on primary ballot

A Queens Supreme Court judge adjourned a ballot fight for next week to give the city Board of Elections (BOE) commissioners a chance to weigh in on the allegations that incumbent Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar used forged signatures to secure her place on the June Democratic primary ballot.

Rajkumar’s challenger, David Orkin, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-endorsed candidate, filed the case to compel the court to invalidate her designating petition and block her name from appearing on the Democratic primary ballot. Rajkumar’s campaign has repeatedly called the accusations false and politically motivated.

A BOE review of Rajkumar’s petition earlier this week found that she had enough to qualify for the June 23 ballot, but it opted out of making a ruling on 1,168 forgery objections that the BOE clerk concluded were “not ruled upon for lack of jurisdiction.”

This left the central fraud claims unresolved as the dispute made its way before a judge on April 23. Not long after receiving the case, Supreme Court Justice Denise Johnson opted to wait until after the commissioner’s meeting scheduled for April 28 to revisit the fraud charges in court.



https://www.amny.com/politics/queens-judge-postpones-hearing-challenge-assembly-ballot/