Right Pick for Chief Judge

Governor Paterson may have been upset about the lack of a female candidate on the list of seven nominees to be the state's Chief Judge, but he chose well in tapping Jonathan Lippman to fill the post.

While it is unusual to pick someone who is not already sitting on the Court of Appeals to preside over the state's highest court, Mr. Lippman is well-qualified for the job, as has been noted by several bar groups.

He is currently the Presiding Justice for the Appellate Division, First Department of State Supreme Court. Equally important, he won high marks during his 11 years as Chief Administrative Judge, carrying out many of the reforms pioneered by just-retired Chief Judge Judith Kaye. His smooth working relationship with her, ironically, was the driving force behind an unseemly Anyone But Lippman editorial in the New York Post a few weeks ago.

Justice Lippman is a worthy successor to the laudable Judge Kaye.