Franklin County judge seeks state Supreme Court seat

PHOTOGRAPHER: David Lombardo

Franklin County resident and Family Court Support Magistrate John Ellis wants to serve on the State Supreme Court bench in the 4th Judicial District.

Ellis, who presides over matters in Saratoga Springs, is seeking one of four seats, of which three opened up because of retirements.

Voters in the 4th Judicial District, which spans 11 counties from Schenectady, Saratoga, Fulton and Montgomery counties north to the Canadian border, will select delegates in the primary election, who then convene to select the party’s candidates for the November general election. It is expected there will be four Republican and four Democratic candidates.

The top four winners in the fall will take office in January 2013, opening chambers in their home counties and hearing primarily civil cases. Justices serve terms of 14 years.

Ellis, an Albany Law School graduate, served as an attorney for the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army, then spent 10 years in private practice and eventually became a prosecutor in the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office. In his private life he has volunteered in different capacities for the Red Cross, American Legion, Rotary and Knights of Columbus. He is also married and has two children.

He said his career of public service is the inspiration for his run in the 4th Judicial District. “I knew after leaving the 82nd Airborne that I would one day return to serving the people,” Ellis said in a statement.

The only current member of the 4th Judicial District competing for another full term is Republican Joseph Sise. The other Republicans include Ed Skoda, a Family Court judge in Fulton County, and Tom Buchanan, a private practice attorney who lives in Rotterdam.

The Democrats running are Saratoga Springs City Court Judge Jeff Wait, Schenectady County Family Court Judge Christine Clark, Schenectady City Court Judge Mark Blanchfield and Schenectady County Family Court Judge Mark Powers.