On Tuesday morning, a line spilled onto Adams Street outside Kings County Supreme Court as Brooklyn’s Democratic Party confronted its internal rift in open court. At issue: a last-minute bylaw amendment that would cement Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s hold on the party chairmanship—a move fiercely contested by a coalition of reform-minded district leaders and grassroots activists.

Inside Judge Jill Epstein’s chambers, the atmosphere was tense. Reformers argued the rule change, pushed through in a hurried August meeting, would sideline dissenting voices and give Bichotte Hermelyn near-total authority heading into the fall election cycle. Party loyalists countered that the amendment merely clarified existing procedures and was consistent with state Democratic rules.

Bichotte Hermelyn, who has chaired the Brooklyn Democrats since 2020, has faced mounting criticism from within her own ranks this year, particularly after a string of contested district leadership elections in neighborhoods like Flatbush and Williamsburg. Reformers accuse party leadership of locking out new voices in a borough where Democratic primaries effectively decide most elections.

The courtroom drama arrives as campaign season heats up across the city, with candidates keenly aware that control of the party machine can make or break local races. Outside, a small crowd waved hand-lettered signs calling for transparency and fair play—a visual reminder that, for many Brooklynites, the stakes go well beyond party bylaws.

Judge Epstein is expected to rule later this month, a decision that could determine not just who leads Brooklyn Democrats, but how the party engages its increasingly restive base heading toward November’s general election.

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