Charles D. Lavine for New York State Assembly 13th District

After 20 years in the Assembly’s Democratic majority, Charles D. Lavine of Glen Cove is a seasoned fixture in Albany. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he's a major player on key bills.

One high-profile example: The state Court of Appeals overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction in a 4-3 decision — and declared that the trial court wrongly admitted evidence of prior sexual acts as alleged in other cases. Reacting to the ruling, lawmakers who support aggressive prosecutions of serial sex offenders looked to change the evidence standard for future cases. Lavine says that because the ruling and reaction came in April there wasn’t enough time or "bandwidth" in the 2024 session to act on a reform bill. Lavine, 77, vows to try again in the next session, if reelected. "I hope we’ll be able to get enough of a consensus," he said of the need to balance the view of many caucus members who do not want to give prosecutors more tools. 

Lavine also follows closely the reaction to criminal law reforms of the past few years. When it comes to today’s toughened rules for discovery and disclosure — which, if violated, can kill a prosecutor’s case — Lavine sees a need to ensure that judges fully understand the amount of discretion they have to "transfer data and evidence to defense counsel."

Lavine faces a rematch against his 2022 Republican opponent, Ruka Anzai, 47, of Jericho. She’s a longtime information technology professional. Her stated views on public issues align with the GOP conference, particularly on crime, taxes and migrants. For example, she is sticking with a sweeping demand to fully repeal bail reform. Anzai came to the U.S. from Japan in 2006 and resided here legally before becoming a citizen in 2020, as she noted in our interview.

Anzai says she believes public schools should "focus more on traditional education" — and expresses her personal doubt that legalizing marijuana was a good idea.

Newsday’s editorial board endorses Lavine.