Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is nominating attorney Dolly Caraballo to the state's new ethics and lobbying watchdog after one of his previous appointees was rejected by a panel of law school deans. 

Caraballo is a civil litigator and member of the Latino Judges Foundation Board. She has previously served as a member on the New York City Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary and was nominated by former Chief Judge Judith Kaye to the post. She has also served as the president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association. 

One of Heastie's previous appointments to the new commission, retired state Supreme Court Judge Robert Torres, was rejected by a review committee of law school deans after the panel failed to reach a consensus on approving him. Torres' appointment was rejected alongside nominees by Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt and state Attorney General Letitia James. 

The new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government was created to replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, meant to oversee and regulate ethics and lobbying in state government. 

Unlike the prior commission, top officials in New York must have their appointments to the new panel reviewed and approved by law school deans following a vetting process.