The Role—and Reach—of the New York State Supreme Court

Now more than ever, we need to get politics out of the courtroom 

On August 12, I officially became the Democratic candidate for New York State Supreme Court Justice in the Sixth Judicial District. I am an attorney, past president of the NYS Women’s Bar, and a family farmer from Tompkins County. I’m running because I feel I have experience that makes me uniquely qualified for the Supreme Court: a position of high importance. 

It’s also of comparatively low public awareness. As I meet with voters, I find many who are uncertain about the role of the Court and the justices who serve on it.

Unlike the Supreme Courts of other states, New York’s Supreme Court is not an appeals court. Instead, it is the highest trial court in the state, with technically unlimited jurisdiction over all types of civil and criminal cases. It usually deals with high-value civil cases relating to election law, contested divorces, medical malpractice, and more. The Supreme Court also has the power to appoint grandparents as guardians. Therefore, the nature of the cases the Court handles makes its justices’ decisions highly relevant to ordinary people and everyday lives.

The Sixth Judicial District is one of 13 districts that make up the Supreme Court, and it includes ten counties in upstate New York, including Tompkins. If I win the November election, I will be based in a Tompkins County courthouse. However, cases from all over the Sixth District are distributed to the county courthouses by the Presiding and Administrative Justices of the District. I will likely hear cases not just from Tompkins County but from all other nine counties: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, and Tioga.

My professional experience has prepared me well. A lecturer at Cornell Law School, I have written a law book and was formerly the Managing Editor of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Journal. I have also served on the NYS Access to Justice Task Force and LawNY, which gives free legal advice to those in need. As an attorney, I worked frequently on antitrust and matrimonial cases, and my ability to apply and explain the law with clarity earned me the Outstanding Women in Law Award from Hofstra University. My experience dealing with complicated legal issues and cases similar to a typical NYS Supreme Court Justice’s caseload qualifies me well for this important position.

In these turbulent times, it is more important than ever that the American judiciary be run by people with unwavering commitments to democracy and the rule of law. As a family farmer (and the co-founder of the Finger Lakes Pony Club), I care deeply about the local community. I want to protect it by guaranteeing equal justice for all.

I am fortunate in receiving numerous endorsements and messages of support from leaders around the state, from members of both parties and bipartisan organizations. At a campaign event in Binghamton, for example, I was honored by NYS Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, who said my impressive legal background and understanding of rural communities made for a rare combination and an outstanding candidate. I have also been endorsed by Eleanor’s Legacy, and I have worked to advance gender equality in organizations like the Finger Lakes Women’s Bar Association, which I co-founded.

I am proud to be the Democratic candidate for NYS Supreme Court in this election. I am determined to be an impartial judge when on the bench. Impartiality is especially important because the Supreme Court’s general trial jurisdiction means it can impact essentially everyone in the Sixth District with its decisions. Now more than ever, we need to get politics out of the courtroom. I am committed to applying my decades of courtroom experience, community service and compassion, to ensuring our Supreme Court is fair to all.

Deirdre Hay is the Democratic candidate for New York State Supreme Court in the Sixth Judicial District. For more information about her campaign, please visit https://www.hayfornysjustice.com/.