By Tony Farina
I’ve covered many court proceedings and trials in my more than 35 years as a newspaper and television reporter and I want to make the point at the beginning of this story that whether elected or appointed, some judges are fair and honest and many others fall short of the mark. In other words, the word jurist does not convey skill and knowledge of the law; it is just a role that some serve with distinction, and others do not.
By definition, a jurist is a person who has expert or thorough knowledge of the law but many who serve in that role came to their position in widely different ways, some through political savvy or others who worked hard to get there.
We have an election coming up in New York State on Nov. 3, and there are four openings for the State Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District: Michael Amodeo and Robert Richardson were cross-endorsed by both major parties, alongside Democratic nominees Craig Bucki and Anne Joynt and Republican nominees Deanne Tripi and Jonathan Hickey. There are four openings, and I’m going to focus on Craig Bucki for this story, who is also endorsed by the Working Families Party.
This is not a story to diminish any of the candidates, and we encourage interested voters to explore all of the candidates on social media and on the web before casting their vote. But for the purpose of the story, we will focus on Craig Bucki because his credentials are so impressive; we’ve made that decision after he reached out to us to consider his candidacy.
Bucki, a youthful 43, has been a highly successful partner at the prestigious Buffalo law firm of Phillips Lytle since 2015 and before that was an associate member from 2006 to 2014 after working at Connors and Vilardo as a summer associate in 2004. Quite a resume to say the least, and local lawyers who know his legal work offer huge compliments; lawyers like Ken Manning and Joel Daniels sing his praises for his knowledge of the law. Remember the definition I mentioned at the beginning. Knowledge of the law, and he fits it to a tee.
So why does a super successful private practice lawyer want to run for State Supreme Court? We asked Bucki, who is at the very top of his game, why now?
Here’s what he said, in part:
“I feel ready, after nearly 20 years serving clients, to make strategic decisions on their behalf. It has been a wonderful experience representing clients, and I want to continue helping people with their problems, and I can broaden that reach from the bench, helping people in many different ways.”
Bucki, who is already traveling the counties in the 8th District, telling people his goals, says his wife, Kate, is very much enjoying the political process. And the smile on his face is pretty convincing as I sat across from him during a recent interview.
As to his knowledge of the law, I’ll offer enough here to give you an idea just how outstanding a lawyer he is based on his background and practice.
At Phillips Lytle, he has focused his practice on litigation involving state and municipal government, public authorities, and other quasi-governmental entities. Bucki has particular experience in prosecuting administrative proceedings, representing political candidates in election law disputes, challenging the constitutionality of state statutes and municipal ordinances, obtaining review of decisions of state and municipal agencies in special proceedings, and advising government clients concerning issues of governance and compliance with state law. Bucki also develops a portion of his practice to represent business entities in commercial disputes and homeowners’ associations in enforcing real property covenants. A remarkable professional description straight from his resume.
Education-wise, he is top shelf. Yale University, magna cum laude with distinction in political science, and Columbia University School of Law, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Craig was also Valedictorian in the Class of 2000 at Canisius High School and a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Yale. There is more, but he has the legal education, no doubt.
Bucki has received numerous awards, including being named to the Best Lawyers in America for Litigation-Municipal, 2022 to the present. The awards and honors are too numerous to mention here, but they are indeed impressive.
There is much more, including community work, serving as a member of the finance council of St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville from 2014 – 2020 and the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo from 2017 to the present, and also a member of the Board of Directors. Also a delegate to the New York State Bar Association and the Bar Association’s governing body that, among other things, sets the policies of the New York State Bar Association.
Speaking engagements include panelist for the United States Supreme Court Review and Preview, sponsored by the Erie County Bar Association, and a panelist for the presentation on Courtrooms, Classrooms Community: A Call to Civic Engagement, also sponsored by the Erie County Bar Association.
National Spelling Bee staff member, Rowell Park research assistant, and much, much more in an incredibly diverse and active career who now wants to carry his strong legal background and academic credentials to the State Supreme Court bench come the Nov. 3 election.
Craig Bucki, a very proud Polish American, has the tools and the record to become an outstanding jurist for the 8 th District and is traveling the counties with his family to deliver the message that he is ready to serve all the people in a
completely honest and fair way.
I think he deserves strong consideration for election to the bench. Craig Bucki says he is ready to serve, and he has the tools and background to do the job.
We will also note this article was paid for “Bucki for Supreme Court.” A truly
worthwhile judicial candidate with just outstanding credentials.