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Peter Vasilion

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Peter Vasilion
Image of Peter Vasilion

Republican Party, Conservative Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

State University of New York at Buffalo, 1996

Law

State University of New York at Buffalo, 1999

Personal
Birthplace
Buffalo, N.Y.
Profession
Lawyer
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal LinkedIn

Peter Vasilion (Republican Party, Conservative Party) ran for election for judge of the Erie County Family Court in New York. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Vasilion completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Peter Vasilion was born in Buffalo, New York. Vasilion's career experience includes working as a lawyer. He earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996 and 1999, respectively. Vasilion has been affiliated with the Erie County Bar Association and Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society, Inc.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Erie County, New York (2024)

General election

General election for Erie County Family Court (2 seats)

Kara Buscaglia and Jeffrey Harrington defeated Peter Vasilion in the general election for Erie County Family Court on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Kara Buscaglia (D / Conservative Party / Working Families Party)
 
43.8
 
311,813
✔
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Jeffrey Harrington (D)
 
28.6
 
203,713
Image of Peter Vasilion
Peter Vasilion (R / Conservative Party) Candidate Connection
 
27.4
 
195,094
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
1,661

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 712,281
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kara Buscaglia advanced from the Democratic primary for Erie County Family Court.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Peter Vasilion advanced from the Republican primary for Erie County Family Court.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Kara Buscaglia advanced from the Conservative Party primary for Erie County Family Court.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Kara Buscaglia advanced from the Working Families Party primary for Erie County Family Court.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Vasilion in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Peter Vasilion completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vasilion's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Peter Vasilion is a native of Buffalo, New York, and was admitted to practice law in New York in 2001. He graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996 with Bachelors Degrees in History and Political Science. He earned his Juris Doctor from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1999.

He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a member of the Bar Association of Erie County. He is a participant in the Bar Association's Aid to Indigent Prisoner Program (also known as The Assigned Counsel Program), which provides legal representation to economically disadvantaged parents in custody cases at no cost to the client. He was appointed by the Erie County Legislature to the Assigned Counsel Program's Board of Directors in 2013. He served as the Assigned Counsel Program's Board President from 2023 to 2024. In addition to the Assigned Counsel Program, he is a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Project, a program that provides no-cost (pro bono) representation to low income residents in divorce proceedings.

Peter Vasilion interned with the Erie County District Attorney's Office Buffalo City Court Drug Court program, and has served as Town Prosecutor in the Town of Clarence since 2013. He has also been appointed as a Special Prosecutor by Erie County District Attorney's Office in conflict cases.

When not practicing law, he enjoys his 4 stepchildren and target sports.
  • I have 23 years of experience in child welfare matters, representing both adults and children. I have represented families in adoptions, family offenses (cases involving orders of protection), custody and visitation cases, paternity (DNA testing cases), guardianship cases, and cases involving neglected and abused children. I am one of approximately 30 lawyers in Buffalo specially trained to handle cases involving child abuse and fatalities. I am the most experienced candidate running for this office this year.
  • Knowledge, experience and judicial temperament are critically important. I have been honored as a first time candidate for judicial office to receive the Women's Bar Association of Western New York's judicial rating of "Highly Qualified" and the Bar Association of Erie County's judicial rating of "Well Qualified". When it comes to the integrity of our families and our children's safety, experience and knowledge of the law matter!
  • Many of our clients come to Family Court having one of the worst days of their lives. They are understandably frightened and worried about their children and their families. It is critically important for a judge to listen carefully and to consider the social determinants of their family's health and safety. I am proud to have been rated by my peers as being Highly Qualified when it comes to judicial temperament. I believe every family has an important story to tell, and as a Judge I will give families to the time the deserve.
Promoting quality education in K-12 programs. A well educated population is critical to stopping cycles of violence and generational neglect.
I do not believe there is any one particular book or film that would completely describe my thinking. I can state that I am opposed to outcome-determined jurisprudence. I believe a Judge must "call balls and strikes" without favor or prejudice.
Honesty, clarity and transparency. Especially for a judge, I think it is critical to speak directly and clearly, and to address the heart of the issues before the Court. Parties and lawyers cannot leave the Courtroom unclear about what they each need to accomplish. Elected officials must also demonstrate transparency. Lack of transparency undermines public confidence in the officer and the institution.
I think the ideal family court judge brings many talents to the bench. They must have the patience and understanding necessary to ensure that people in the Courtroom have been fairly treated, and that each person before the Court has had the opportunity to tell their story. They also must be able to work cases efficiently. Families deserve to have disputes resolved quickly and fairly. Children should not be "raised in Family Court".
That I treated people with respect and dignity, and above all that I was patient and treated people fairly.
I have clear memories of the Iranian Hostage Crisis being broadcast on the news. I would have been five at the time.
I worked at Tops Supermarket. I was an associate in the bulk foods department and it was a summer job.
I struggle with doing nothing. I have to be active, even on vacation.
One little known responsibility of Family Court is to ensure that teenagers who are freed for adoption, as a result of a Family Court proceeding, do not become lost in the system. Though regular permanency reviews, I think the Court has an obligation to these children to ensure that they have all the help they can get to become independent and successful young adults.
Like Bastiat, I believe that the law must be based on, and take into account, the fundamental nature of people as well as certain universal moral principles. But the law also has limits. It has become crystal clear to me in 23 years of Family Court practice, many of the problems we are asked to fix are not legal issues. The problems go beyond the law, or rather do not have legal solutions. The Family Court must be mindful not to overstep in these areas.
There is a judge who is currently sitting in Erie County Family Court who I admire and would try to emulate. This Judge just started her second term and has a reputation for writing well reasoned decisions running to 30 or 50 or more pages. When I read her decisions, I know that she invests a significant amount of time considering the testimony and evidence, and then addressing it in detail in her writings.
Empathy is certainly important, but it must be grounded and moderated by morality. Otherwise, there is a risk that justice will not be done. This is famously expressed the saying, attributed to the economist Adam Smith, to the effect that, "Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." To me, in the Family Court context, this means that we can and should show empathy for a person, but a Judge must also impartially apply the law to the facts of the case and to determine the outcome accordingly. Understanding how a thing came to be, or how it happened, does not end the analysis. Rather, a Judge must follow the facts of a case, no matter where they lead. Only then can a Judge marry facts and empathy to decide what the just and proper outcome might be.
Yes. I am honored to have received the Bar Association of Erie County's judicial candidate rating of "Well Qualified" and the Women's Bar Assocation of Western New York's rating of "Highly Qualified". I am told that for a first time judicial candidate, these respective ratings are very significant.
In the 23 years that I have been practicing in Family Court, I have handled every type of case that the Family Court has jurisdiction over. I have the most experience actually practicing in Family Court of any candidate running this cycle. I believe I have a excellent reputation for having good temperament, for being patient and understanding, and an excellent reputation for technical skill and knowledge of the the law. I decided to run for this seat once it was created because the safety and welfare of our children demands a Judge with the most experience and best reputation in Family Court. It demands a judge who is willing to meet parents "where they are" and with sensitivity for the needs of the children who are the subject of the cases in Court.
Previous experience in politics or government is beneficial from the perspective that it helps give a judge perspective and context. However, Family Law is such a specialized area of practice that experience in the field is much more important.
I am concerned about the risk of creeping politicization of the Court system. Our courts are intended to be apolitical and they are under pressure to consider outcomes, as opposed to applying the law. I am committed to following the facts of the case, no matte where they lead.
The New York Courts are in the middle of technological and attitudinal evolution. Our courts are moving in the direction of making the system more friendly for unrepresented citizens through technology. I think this is an excellent opportunity to help average citizens. By making the Court system more accessibly and more friendly, I think that this is a great opportunity to help educate people about their civil rights and civic duties. I am strongly in favor of this.
I have not ruled it out, but I have not considered it at this time, either.
I think local Bar Association rating are decent barometer of a judge's overall fitness. I think our local rating systems are very good because they take the responsibility seriously. I know they contact a Judge's references, but they also interview the judicial candidate's opposing counsel in cases they took to verdict or decision.
In New York, judges are required to file detailed periodic financial disclosures. The public should have confidence that Judges are not subject to monetary influence, and New York has a good system of regulation. Also, with respect to accountability, New York has strong safeguards in place to ensure Judges are not engaging in unlawful conduct or conduct that creates the appearance of impropriety. This ensures an accountable judiciary and I think that the public is well served by these institutions.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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External links

Candidate

Erie County Family Court
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 4, 2024

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