Steck said to be weighing judgeship
ALBANY — A local state legislator is among the people being discussed as a possible candidate for one of three open state Supreme Court seats this fall.
Assemblyman Phil Steck of Colonie is among the candidates being discussed in Democratic circles as a possible selection at the party’s nomination convention later this summer.
Albany County Democratic Committee members say Steck has shown interest in a state judgeship.
Steck declined to comment when asked if he was interested in a spot on the bench. Steck’s seat was a major concern for Assembly Democrats this past election cycle as the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee spent more than $363,000 to boost his campaign, the most it spent on any candidate in the state.
Steck won reelection with 56.8 percent of the vote over his challenger, Alexandra Velella. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2013. Albany County Democratic Chair Jake Crawford declined to identify anyone who has expressed interest in the open seats. Crawford estimated there were at least 10 people who had indicated they were interested in being nominated as a candidate for one of the open seats.
The open seats are created by two brothers, state Supreme Court justices Peter and Michael Lynch, reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 this year and state Supreme Court Judge Margaret Walsh stepping down.
Justice Michael Lynch serves on the Third Department’s Appellate Division.
Both Peter and Michael Lynch can choose to retain their seats if they apply for the biannual certification that allows justices to remain on the bench until they turn 76. Even if they apply, their positions will be on the ballot.
Walsh was elected to a second 10-year term as an Albany County Family Court judge in 2014 before winning election as a state Supreme Court justice in 2018. Walsh filed for retirement on Jan. 6, effective March 31, according to the state comptroller’s office.
Walsh could not be reached for comment. Both the Office of Court Administration and the state comptroller’s office confirmed that Walsh was retiring. A clerk in the Albany County Court office told a Times Union reporter in January that Walsh’s cases were being distributed to other judges.
Supreme Court judges are elected to 14-year terms. But once a judge turns 70, even if they have time left in their term, they must apply for “senior status” certification, opening up their elected judicial ballot lines to other candidates.
While state Supreme Court judges and other justices are elected, candidate selection differs from other public offices. Nominees are selected at a judicial convention in August to appear on the ballot in November.