CERESIA JR.

MCNALLY

One correction to the post below - it doesn't matter if Ceresia the elder applies for a two year extension to the state's mandated retirement age or not. There will still be an election for his seat and that means there will be two robes doing the work one used to. It's no wonder the state is broke.

There seems to be a battle brewing to see who gets the Democratic Party nomination to replace the retiring George Ceresia on the Supreme Court between Ceresia’s son, Rensselaer County Court Judge Andrew Ceresia and District Attorney Richard McNally.

While neither has officially announced, Albany County Family Court Judge W. Dennis Duggan has said he will not look for a third term on that bench and instead run for Supreme Court.

But, the elder Ceresia’s seat has been in Rensselaer County since at least 1994 when he was elected and obviously he would rather see his son take his spot. He did abruptly resign as the administrative judge in the Third Judicial District last month under what some say are mysterious circumstances and what others say was a way to hold onto dignity rather than get replaced. Either way, I don’t know how much that helps his son ascend to a higher court.

While Rensselaer County Chair Tom Wade was noncommittal when asked recently by a reporter who he would support, the the way judges are picked means he will pretty much unilaterally make the call and I hear he is backing McNally.

Judges of the same party don’t run a primary. Rather, the delegates put on designating petitions circulated by the party faithful go to a Judicial Nominating Convention in September and just pick one. I suppose there could be a primary battle for the delegates but in my memory it hasn’t happened. Honestly, not a bunch of people care who becomes a Supreme Court judge because the Third Judicial District covers seven counties so it’s a tough, expensive race to run and it may afford workers a few jobs but not many. That’s why the two major parties swapped cross endorsements for years but that tradition, to Wade’s credit, is now by the wayside and there are actually contested elections where the voters get a choice.

CERESIA SR.

The way the district is split up, Albany County carries the most weighted vote at the convention but if Rensselaer County … i.e. Wade … can get the support of one or two of the others counties I’m betting the next Democratic candidate for Supreme Court judge is McNally. If you remember, Rensselaer County … i.e. Wade … went for Steven Schick of Ulster County and Richard Mott of Columbia County – two Democrats who took out two Republican incumbent Supreme Court judges Bud Malone of Albany County and E. Michael Kavanagh of Ulster County so he might be owed a return favor.

The Third Judicial District includes Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties and it only takes two or three – depending on the configuration – to get that county’s guy the nomination.

I have not reached out to Ceresia but just about every lawyer wants to be a judge and just about every judge wants a higher bench to sit on. I did reach out to McNally and he said he is “interested.”

Or, the elder Ceresia could just ask for an extension past the mandatory retirement age for judges in this state of 70 and could throw a monkey wrench into everyone’s plans, whatever those plans are.

As of now, I've heard of no Republicans interested in running.

Let the games begin.