Goggin to enter district court judge race

A week after Councilman Anthony Eramo announced that he is running for State Assembly, Councilwoman Eileen Goggin said that she will enter the race for Nassau County District Court judge.

Goggin said that she is seeking an open seat in Second District Court, which covers the Town of Hempstead and Long Beach. She said that she received the nomination from the Nassau County Democratic Party at its convention on Tuesday. Goggin said that becoming a judge has been a longtime aim.

“I’ve wanted to run for a while,” she said. “In the last several years, that has been my goal.”

Goggin, who had served briefly on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, was appointed to the council in 2013, when she filled a seat vacated by former councilman Mike Fagen, who was forced to step down after he was convicted on charges that arose from his collection of more than $15,000 in unemployment benefits. Goggin was subsequently elected to a four-year term last November, as part of a Democratic sweep that strengthened the Democratic majority on the council.

Goggin is a law secretary for Nassau County Court Judge Tammy S. Robbins, where she manages all aspects of felony criminal court cases, researches legal issues, drafts decisions and reviews grand jury presentations, among other responsibilities. She is also a former deputy county attorney and former senior trial attorney for the Legal Aid Society’s criminal division. Goggin received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1988.

Goggin said that she decided not to seek the party’s nomination last year, saying that she was focused on the city’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy.

“I came in right when everything was in transition, and we were getting FEMA money and we were rebuilding the boardwalk,” she said. “We were also in the process, and still are, of rebuilding our infrastructure and working with the state and federal government to expedite the return of displaced residents.”

Second District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, misdemeanor vehicle and traffic violations, preliminary processing of felonies, cases involving $15,000 or less in money damages, small claims for $5,000 or less, and landlord-tenant cases.