I  reported a few weeks ago that Jim Yates, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice, had been named by Governor David Paterson as his Counsel.  Yesterday, in a shocking turnaround, Yates declined the position.

According to the New York Times, Jim Yates said that he realized that being a judge was his “true calling,”

“I very much would have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the governor and his administration, but serving as a judge is a position that I love, and that I find too hard to leave,” Mr. Yates said.

From a political and “career advancement” point of view, this is a very surprising position.  Jim Yates has been on the short list for a Court of Appeals appointment many times, but never got the nod under the Pataki administration.  His return to Albany in the powerful position of Governor’s Counsel would have given him the inside track for the next opening on the Court, and certainly the governor’s ear on matters of criminal justice reform, long a subject of interest for Yates.

Reaction by Joe Lentol, Brooklyn Assemblyman, sums it up pretty well:

“This is going to be one of the biggest losses for the administration that I can think of,” said Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, a Brooklyn Democrat. “Jim Yates is one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. For him not to be in the governor’s office will not be good for the state — he’s that good.”

Until a new counsel is name, David M. Nocenti, counsel under Spitzer, will remain as interim.  According to New York Magazine, state senator Eric Schneiderman and Robert Morgenthau protégé Dan Castleman are now the leading candidates. 

I have to agree strongly with Joe Lentol.  Losing Jim Yates in Albany will be a major loss for the state.  He’s that good.  But I wonder what really happened.  Nobody loves being a judge that much, and there’s far more that could be accomplished by a few years in Albany than in one courtroom in Manhattan.  I doubt we’ll ever know the real reason, and hope that at least Jim Yates makes it back to Albany to the Court of Appeals on the next round.

H/T Turk