BALLSTON SPA — A campaign slogan has become a campaign issue in the race for Saratoga County Family Court judge.

Richard Moran, campaign committee chairman for Kurt Mausert, a Saratoga Springs attorney challenging incumbent Courtenay Hall, has accused Hall of usurping the slogan, "A family man for Family Court" from Halls' campaign.

All of Mausert's campaign literature has included the slogan, Moran said, but about a week ago, distribution began of a flier for Hall which states he is the candidate who is a "Family Man for Family Court."

"Kurt's slogan is well known and has been in the public use for five months," Moran said.

Moran said Mausert's campaign Web site was launched April 1 and on the first page is a copyright notice saying that all contents, including the slogan, were protected by copyright law and belonged to the committee.

"Even if we hadn't taken the care to post our copyright notice, it is simply unfair for one candidate to swipe another's popular and well used slogan," Moran said.

Hall referred his response to his campaign committee chairman, Jeffrey Bagnoli, who said the accusation is false and a press release detailing Mausert's opinions on the matter is a violation of the judicial code of conduct because it defames Hall.

"The allegations in that press release are patently untrue," Bagnoli said. "Judge Hall used the slogan 'A family man for Family Court' 10 years ago, when he ran for the office for the first time."

A press release issued by the Mausert campaign about the accusations includes the question, "Is Courtenay Hall a Thief?," which Bagnoli said is defamatory. Mausert said the question does not defame the judge, though.

"It's not defamatory, it's a question," Mausert said. "I'm asking the question, 'Do the people think my slogan was stolen?'"