New York judicial elections summary, 2014

New York judicial elections, 2014
Overview
Total candidates:	154
Primary candidates:	68
General election candidates:	136
Incumbency
Incumbents:	34
Incumbent success rate:	76%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:	77%
Percent uncontested:	23%

2015 → ← 2013
Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

New York’s judicial elections focused on the trial courts, since appellate judges are not elected. The district court races stood out, often featuring multiple seats and a high volume of candidates entering the race. One such district court race for four open seats drew ten candidates, none of whom were incumbents.

New York by the numbers

In 2014, a total of 154 candidates sought judicial positions, including 34 incumbents. Thirty-one candidates were unopposed and secured victory in the general election, while the remaining 105 faced contested races in November.

For general election results, see: New York judicial elections, 2014.

For primary election results, see: New York judicial primary elections, 2014.

Interesting races

• In the supreme court races, candidates could win with relatively low vote percentages due to the large number of contenders. For instance, in the 2nd Judicial District, there were four seats available but ten candidates running. As a result, the candidate with the most votes, Evelyn J. Laporte, received just 14.7% of the total votes in that race. Dennis W. Houdek received only 2%, the least of all the candidates.
• Jeffrey A. Piazza, who cross-filed for three parties (Republican, Conservative, Independence), won a seat on the Chautauqua County Family Court. He received 59% of the vote, while his closest competitor, Sally Ann Jaroszynski, pulled in 28.5%.
• New York Supreme Court 3rd Judicial District candidate Lisa M. Fisher won her seat on the court with less than 50% of the vote. She received 48.7% of the total votes cast in the race.

• The following were some races where incumbents were defeated:

• Michele M. Woodard of the New York Supreme Court 10th Judicial District was not re-elected. She won only 1.5% of the vote in her race.
• Democratic judges Fred J. Hirsh and Michael A. Ciaffa, of the Nassau County District Court (2nd district), lost their seats. This race had four open seats.

• The following were some closely contested races:

• Matthew J. Sypniewski (50.5%) v. Kenneth P. Litz (49.5%) for the Schenectady County Court
• Christine M. Krahulik won a seat on the Orange County Family Court with 51.3%.

In the race for the Nassau County District Court, 2nd district, just over 100 votes separated the candidates. Eight contenders competed for four seats. Robert E. Pipia, Ignatius L. Muscarella, and Darlene D. Harris secured the top three spots, while Tricia Ferrell defeated C. William Gaylor to claim the fourth seat.

Supreme court candidate selection

Candidates for the state's Supreme Courts (the primary trial courts) were chosen through party conventions instead of primary elections. In September, voters elected convention delegates, who then selected their party’s nominees for the November general election ballot. Voters made the final decision between the candidates selected for the general election. See the New York judicial elections page for more information.

Defeated incumbents

Name	Court
Fred J. Hirsh	Nassau County District Court - 2nd District
Michael A. Ciaffa	Nassau County District Court - 2nd District
Michele M. Woodard	Supreme Court, 10th District - Seats 1-6
Paul Hensley	Suffolk County District Court - 3rd District
Peter P. Charnetsky	Broome County Family Court - Race 1
Stephen L. Ukeiley	Suffolk County District Court - 6th District
Steven M. Jaeger	Nassau County Court - Race 1
Tammy S. Robbins	Nassau County Court - Race 1
William G. Ford	Suffolk County District Court - 5th District

See also

• New York judicial elections, 2014
• New York elections
• Portal:Judicial elections
• Judicial selection in New York
• New York

External links

• New York Board of Elections