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New York judges
November 2026

New York 2026 › Judges on the ballot › Supreme Court Justice, 8th Judicial District (Vote For 4)

Supreme Court Justice, 8th Judicial District (Vote For 4): New York 2026

Craig R. Bucki (Democratic, Working Families), Anne E. Joynt (Democratic, Working Families), Michael L. Amodeo (Democratic, Republican, Working Families), Robert N. Richardson (Democratic, Republican, Conservative), Deanne M. Tripi (Republican, Conservative), Jonathan S. Hickey (Republican, Conservative) and Robert R. Vario (Conservative) are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Supreme Court Justice, 8th Judicial District (Vote For 4) in New York. This seat is elected only inside its court district or county, so it appears on some New York ballots, not all; enter your address in the lookup to check yours.

Craig R. Bucki (Democratic, Working Families)

Craig R. Bucki is an elected partner at Phillips Lytle LLP, where he has practiced litigation for nearly twenty years across commercial disputes, matrimonial actions, foreclosure cases, personal injury, constitutional law and land use matters, per his campaign site. He holds a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and a B.A. from Yale University, and is admitted to practice in New York state courts, several federal district courts, the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court, per his campaign site.

Anne E. Joynt (Democratic, Working Families)

Anne E. Joynt is an attorney at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, where she has practiced for 22 years representing injured workers and families, per the Orleans Hub. A 1998 Medina High School graduate with a law degree from the University at Buffalo, she was rated Well Qualified by the Bar Association of Erie County. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Top Priorities
  • Making sure everyone is heard and that every person's experience matters in court, per the campaign site

Michael L. Amodeo (Democratic, Republican, Working Families)

Michael L. Amodeo is principal law clerk to Appellate Division, Fourth Department, Justice Craig Hannah, per the Erie County Democratic Committee. He received cross-party endorsements for the 2026 Supreme Court race and was rated Qualified by the Bar Association of Erie County. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Robert N. Richardson (Democratic, Republican, Conservative)

Robert N. Richardson is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Supreme Court Justice in the 8th Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans & Wyoming) on the Democratic, Republican, Conservative lines, per the State Board of Elections' amended certification of September 4, 2026. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Deanne M. Tripi (Republican, Conservative)

Deanne M. Tripi is a judge of the Erie County Family Court, first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2023, per her campaign site. She earned her law degree from Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law in 1995 and was admitted to the New York bar in 1996, per her campaign site. Before joining the bench she spent 18 years in private practice, including 11 years as a partner at the firm of Palmer, Murphy and Tripi handling Family Court and Supreme Court civil matters, per her campaign site.

Jonathan S. Hickey (Republican, Conservative)

Jonathan S. Hickey is a Clarence Town Justice, per the Town of Clarence's official court roster. A 2001 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, he is a founding member of the Buffalo law firm Burden, Gulisano and Hickey, which defends product manufacturers and transportation companies, per a University at Buffalo School of Law alumni profile. He has also served as a confidential law clerk in the 8th Judicial District, per the same alumni profile. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Robert R. Vario (Conservative)

Robert R. Vario is the lead matrimonial and family law attorney at the Law Office of Ralph C. Lorigo in West Seneca, New York, per the firm's own biography of its attorneys. He has been named to Super Lawyers in family law for 2019 through 2026, per Super Lawyers. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

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