| Some say that folks don’t care about judges until they need one. Most of us go through our day to day lives having little interaction with the court system. We might get called for jury duty or have to appear in town court for a speeding ticket, but that’s about it. When it comes time to vote for a judge on the ballot, many either just pick a name or skip on by because they don’t know what the position entails or who the candidate is. Here’s a little primer on the New York State Supreme Court. There are Thirteen Supreme Court Judicial Districts in New York. Sullivan County is part of the Third Judicial District which covers seven counties including Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie and Ulster counties. The New York State Supreme Court is a court of general jurisdiction, which means that its range is unlimited in terms of cases that can come before it. Generally, the Court hears cases that are outside of the jurisdiction of other courts. Locally, most cases are civil rather than criminal. Cases that come before the court include divorces, civil matters, issues involving property such as foreclosures, and claims for equitable relief from certain actions. Village, Town and City Courts have limits on monetary damages that can be claimed. The Supreme Court does not.  New York’s 3rd Judicial DistrictCurrently there are sixteen sitting Justices in our District. An additional seat was created this year, so there will be seventeen sitting Justices beginning in 2023. Justices serve for a fourteen year term. There are twelve men and four women on the court. As we’ve seen in recent national Supreme Court cases and in New York, the decisions made by Justices impact the lives of many people, not always for the better. Here’s why it matters There are four candidates running for the three open seats in our District. Our three outstanding candidates bring the kind of legal qualifications, life experience and respect for the rule of law that is needed in such an important position. Their careers, while varied, give them the relevant experience and background needed. As Democrats, we believe that there should be more diversity on the court. Adding three highly qualified women is a move in the right direction. That’s not the only reason that it’s critical to vote for all three this year. The fourth candidate was nominated three times without success for a seat on the Federal bench. The last time he was not seated was because of his radical anti-abortion position. A member of the Federalist Society, he holds extremist views not only on reproductive rights, but on marriage equality, separation of church and state and more. He would be an activist judge working on behalf of the far right. That is not what the judicial system was designed to be. We must ensure that a radical, right wing judge with an agenda does not win a seat on the bench in our District. As Francis Bacon said, “Judges ought to be more learned than witty, more reverent than plausible, and more advised than confident. Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.”  Heidi Cochrane for Supreme Court Justice |
 Sharon Graff for Supreme Court Justice Meagan Galligan for Supreme Court Justice |