(ALBANY, NY) - Today, Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) announced the passage of legislation which he has helped champion (S.10626) to create new fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth judicial districts in Western New York. These districts would comprise of the major population centers of Monroe, Erie, and Onondaga Counties, while restructuring existing districts to account for the surrounding rural counties. 

“As a lawyer, I know firsthand how much representation matters,” said Senator Jeremy Cooney. “The realities in downtown Rochester don’t reflect the realities in our more rural towns and villages, and vice versa. It’s only right that upstate New Yorkers should have the opportunity to have judges that understand their community and who represent the diverse and vibrant populations that our corner of New York is home to. That’s why I’ve longed pushed for this bill and I’m proud to see it pass today.”

The current judicial districts of the Fourth Judicial Department in Western New York combine urban population centers with large swaths of rural communities. Senator Cooney noted that this configuration does not reflect the demographics or needs of each population center. 

Erie, Monroe, and Onondaga Counties each contain over 25% people of color and represent 57% of the department’s total population. However, of the over 40 justices who responded to a 2024 demographic survey in the Fourth Judicial Department, only one justice identified as black, with zero identifying as Asian or Hispanic. 

Senator Cooney explained that by reconfiguring Western New York’s judicial districts, both rural and urban populations will have the opportunity to vote for judges that better reflect the demographic realities of their communities. 

###