Queens voters selected nominees for three Civil Court judgeships in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election, with Sheridan C. Chu, Eve Cho Guillergan, and Juliette-Noor Haji holding strong leads in their respective races, according to unofficial results from the New York City Board of Elections.
Chu defeated attorney John J. Ciafone in the borough-wide race for Queens County Civil Court judge. With 90.49% of scanners reporting, Chu secured 96,801 votes—58.9% of the total—compared to Ciafone’s 66,405 votes, or 40.4%. The winner of this race will be eligible to serve anywhere within Queens County’s civil court system, handling matters ranging from housing disputes to small claims cases.
Chu, who focuses on tenant rights and criminal defenses, was endorsed by several local Democratic clubs and legal organizations. His opponent, Ciafone, an Astoria-based attorney, previously ran unsuccessfully for civil court in 2022.
Chu reflected on his primary night victory in a social media post, calling it “quite the honor” to be chosen by voters. “We still have one more hurdle in November, but anything is possible when you have #OneQueens behind you,” Chu wrote. “When you have the support of Dems across the spectrum, it means something.”
In the 2nd Municipal Court District, which includes neighborhoods such as Elmhurst, Woodside, Jackson Heights, and parts of Corona, Guillergan led the race with 19,632 votes—or 58.1%—over Julie M. Milner, who earned 13,982 votes, or 41.4%, with 89.07% of scanners reporting. Guillergan is an immigration attorney who has dedicated much of her legal career to immigration law.
The race in the 1st Municipal Court District, which covers Astoria and Long Island City, was also decisively called for Haji. A current public defender and law professor, Haji garnered 18,711 votes—69.2%—against Thomas G. Wright-Fernandez, who received 8,205 votes, or 30.3%. Over 95% of scanners had reported in that contest as of Tuesday night.
Haji took to social media on Wednesday to thank supporters who canvassed in the heat and cold to help get out the vote. “Thank you to every single one of you who came out in the cold mornings to stop people on the street to gather signatures, to those who took time out of your own lives to knock on thousands of doors in Astoria and Long Island City,” Haji wrote. “To those who traveled far and wide and braved scorching heat to encourage New Yorkers to exercise their civic rights and duty to VOTE! YOU did this.”
Judicial races in New York City, particularly for civil court, rarely garner the same attention as higher-profile contests, but the offices wield significant influence over everyday legal matters. The winners of these primaries are widely expected to secure victory in the November general election in heavily Democratic Queens.
Final certification of results will follow after all absentee and affidavit ballots are counted.
