Who is running for New York Supreme Court Justice, 8th Judicial District (vote for up to four) in 2026?

Town Justice, Town of Clarence; Confidential Law Clerk, New York State Supreme Court, Eighth Judicial District

Jonathan S. Hickey has been a Town of Clarence town justice since 2019, re-elected in 2023, and presides over the town's Thursday criminal and traffic court⁷⁸⁹. A 2001 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, he is a confidential law clerk in the Eighth Judicial District of the State Supreme Court and was a founding member of the Buffalo firm Burden Gulisano and Hickey, which defends product manufacturers and transportation companies; he also served as a Clarence town prosecutor⁸⁹¹⁰. He runs on the Republican and Conservative lines; Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²¹¹.

• Town Justice, Town of Clarence, elected 2019 and re-elected 2023; presides over criminal and traffic court⁷⁸⁹
• Confidential Law Clerk, New York State Supreme Court, Eighth Judicial District, Buffalo⁸⁹
• Founding member, Burden Gulisano and Hickey LLC, Buffalo, defending product manufacturers and transportation companies; appointed a Clarence town prosecutor by 2014¹⁰
• J.D., University at Buffalo School of Law, 2001⁸⁹¹⁰
• Elected Clarence Town Justice in 2019 and re-elected in 2023⁸⁹. For Supreme Court he was nominated at the September 2026 Republican judicial nominating convention for the Eighth Judicial District and also holds the Conservative line¹⁶¹¹.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Jonathan S. Hickey, Well Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Partner, Phillips Lytle LLP

Craig R. Bucki is a litigation partner at Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo, elected partner in 2015, who co-chairs the firm's appellate practice and has argued before the New York Court of Appeals and handled more than 25 appeals in all four Appellate Division departments⁷⁸. He earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Yale in 2003 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2006, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar⁷⁸. He runs on the Democratic and Working Families lines; Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁹.

• Partner, Phillips Lytle LLP, Buffalo (elected partner 2015; associate 2006 to 2014); co-chair of the appellate practice; commercial, municipal, matrimonial, foreclosure, personal injury, constitutional and land use litigation in 26 New York counties⁷⁸⁹
• Chair of the Bar Association of Erie County Professional Ethics Committee; member of the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates; American Law Institute member⁸
• Board director, Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, 2017 to present⁹
• B.A., Yale University, magna cum laude, 2003; J.D., Columbia Law School, 2006⁷⁸
• Nominated at the September 2026 Democratic judicial nominating convention for the Eighth Judicial District and also holds the Working Families line; New York Supreme Court justices are chosen through party conventions and elected to 14-year terms¹⁶⁹.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Craig R. Bucki, Well Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Judge, Erie County Family Court

Deanne M. Tripi has been a judge of the Erie County Family Court since her election in November 2013; she was re-elected in November 2023 on the Republican, Democratic, Working Families and Conservative lines with 33.8 percent in a three-seat race, for a term ending December 31, 2033²⁷⁹. Before the bench she practiced law for 18 years, including 11 years as a partner at Palmer, Murphy and Tripi handling Family Court and Supreme Court civil matters, and served as the first chairwoman of the Eighth Judicial District Attorney Grievance Committee⁷. She holds a B.A. from the University at Buffalo (1992) and a J.D. from Pace University School of Law (1995) and was admitted in 1996²⁷. She runs on the Republican and Conservative lines; Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁸.

• Judge, Erie County Family Court, since January 2014 (elected November 2013; re-elected November 2023, term through December 31, 2033); custody, visitation, domestic violence, guardianship, support, abuse and neglect, and juvenile delinquency cases²⁷
• Private practice, 18 years, including 11 years as a partner at Palmer, Murphy and Tripi, Buffalo⁷
• First chairwoman, Eighth Judicial District Attorney Grievance Committee⁷
• B.A. in English and history, University at Buffalo, 1992; J.D., Pace University School of Law, 1995; admitted to the New York bar 1996²⁷
• Elected to Family Court in November 2013 and re-elected in November 2023 with all four major and minor party lines²⁷. For Supreme Court she was nominated at the September 2026 Republican judicial nominating convention for the Eighth Judicial District and also holds the Conservative line¹⁶⁸.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Hon. Deanne M. Tripi, Well Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Confidential Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Frank Caruso

Robert N. Richardson has been confidential law clerk to State Supreme Court Justice Frank Caruso since 2007, handling civil litigation, mental hygiene guardianship applications, matrimonial matters and extreme risk protection orders, after earlier work as an assistant Erie County district attorney in Buffalo City Court, the justice courts and the Special Investigations Bureau⁷. He grew up in the Town of Tonawanda, earned a mathematics degree at Colgate University and his law degree at the University at Buffalo School of Law, and was president of the Niagara County Bar Association for four years⁷. He is cross-endorsed, appearing on the Democratic, Republican and Conservative lines (this guide codes him R because more of his lines are on that side); Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁸.

• Confidential Law Clerk to Justice Frank Caruso, New York State Supreme Court, Eighth Judicial District, since 2007⁷
• Assistant District Attorney, Erie County District Attorney's Office (Buffalo City Court, justice courts, then the Special Investigations Bureau handling drug and juvenile cases)⁷
• Board member and four-year president of the Niagara County Bar Association; former board member of the Erie County Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society⁷
• B.A. in mathematics, Colgate University; J.D., University at Buffalo School of Law⁷
• Cross-endorsed: nominated at both the Democratic and Republican judicial nominating conventions for the Eighth Judicial District in September 2026 and also holds the Conservative line; Supreme Court justices are chosen through party conventions and elected to 14-year terms¹⁶⁸.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Robert Richardson, Well Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Attorney; chambers of Justice Craig D. Hannah, Appellate Division, Fourth Department

Michael L. Amodeo is a Buffalo attorney admitted in New York in 2005 and a University at Buffalo law graduate; his state attorney registration lists his employer as Hon. Craig D. Hannah and his office at 701 Seneca Street, Suite 350, which the Appellate Division, Fourth Department directory lists as Justice Hannah's chambers; Hannah sits on the Fourth Department and previously on the Eighth District Supreme Court⁷⁸¹⁰. He is cross-endorsed, appearing on the Democratic, Republican and Working Families lines (this guide codes him D because more of his lines are on that side); Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁹.

• Attorney in the chambers of Justice Craig D. Hannah, per his New York attorney registration (registered office 701 Seneca Street, Suite 350, Buffalo, the address the Appellate Division, Fourth Department directory gives for Justice Hannah's chambers); Hannah was designated to the Fourth Department in March 2024 after serving on the Eighth District Supreme Court from 2022⁷⁸¹⁰
• Admitted to the New York bar in 2005; law degree, University at Buffalo⁷
• Cross-endorsed: nominated at both the Democratic and Republican judicial nominating conventions for the Eighth Judicial District in September 2026 and also holds the Working Families line; Supreme Court justices are chosen through party conventions and elected to 14-year terms¹⁶⁹.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Michael L. Amodeo, Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Attorney, Law Office of Ralph C. Lorigo (family law)

Robert R. Vario is a family law attorney at the Law Office of Ralph C. Lorigo in West Seneca, a 1982 graduate of Syracuse University College of Law who has been licensed in New York since 1983 and has been selected to Super Lawyers in family law each year from 2019 through 2026⁷. He appears only on the Conservative Party line; because he holds no major party line, this guide codes him R under its rule that the Conservative line maps to the Republican side¹². Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁸.

• Attorney, Law Office of Ralph C. Lorigo, West Seneca; family and matrimonial law⁷
• Licensed in New York since 1983; J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 1982⁷
• Nominated for the Eighth Judicial District Supreme Court on the Conservative Party line only; Supreme Court justices are chosen through party conventions and elected to 14-year terms¹⁶. He was not nominated by either major party¹⁸.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Robert R. Vario was not included in the Bar Association of Erie County's September 16, 2026 ratings release for this race. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.

Trial attorney, Lipsitz, Ponterio and Comerford

Anne E. Joynt is a trial lawyer who has practiced asbestos and toxic-tort litigation for plaintiffs since 2005, representing injured workers, children exposed to lead paint and survivors of childhood abuse, at the Buffalo firm Lipsitz, Ponterio and Comerford⁷⁸. A 1998 Medina High School graduate, she earned her degree magna cum laude from SUNY Geneseo in 2002 and her J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2005⁷⁸. She runs on the Democratic and Working Families lines; Four 14-year Supreme Court seats in the Eighth Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties) are on the ballot and voters may choose up to four of seven candidates; two candidates, Michael L. Amodeo and Robert N. Richardson, are cross-endorsed by both major parties, while Bucki and Joynt run on the Democratic side, Tripi and Hickey on the Republican side, and Vario on the Conservative line only¹²⁹.

• Trial attorney, Lipsitz, Ponterio and Comerford, Buffalo, since 2005; asbestos, toxic-tort, personal injury and product liability litigation for plaintiffs⁷⁸
• Admitted to the New York bar in 2005; admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court⁷⁸
• B.A., SUNY Geneseo, magna cum laude, English and Spanish, 2002; J.D., University at Buffalo School of Law, 2005⁷⁸
• Nominated at the September 2026 Democratic judicial nominating convention for the Eighth Judicial District and also holds the Working Families line; Supreme Court justices are chosen through party conventions and elected to 14-year terms¹⁶⁸⁹.
• Bar poll: Bar Association of Erie County Judiciary Committee ratings for the 2026 New York State Supreme Court candidates, released September 16, 2026. The committee is a 29-lawyer nonpartisan panel with no more than 14 members from any one party that reviews questionnaires, interviews and input from lawyers and judges; it uses a four-level scale of Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified and Not Recommended. The rating is a non-binding evaluation of qualifications and is not an endorsement. Rating: Anne E. Joynt, Well Qualified. Ratings in this race: Amodeo Qualified; Bucki Well Qualified; Hickey Well Qualified; Joynt Well Qualified; Richardson Well Qualified; Tripi Well Qualified; Vario not included in the release; the release also rates three other people (Christopher M. Pannozzo, Kenneth A. Szyszkowski and Peter P. Vasilion) who are not on the November ballot for this race³. No 2026 rating from the Eighth Judicial District Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission was found; the commissions' ratings site lists no Eighth District ratings after 2018⁵.