Judge James McClusky raises his right hand during Monday’s swearing-in ceremony, marking the start of his next term on the New York State Supreme Court.
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — With his right hand raised and his oath renewed on Monday, Judge James McClusky returned to the bench for another 14-year term, continuing a judicial career that began in 2012 and now stretches well into the next decade.
McClusky, who won reelection in November, secured one of four open seats in New York’s 5th Judicial District — a region spanning Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties. In a field of seven contenders, he was the sole Republican to prevail, a result that underscores both his support among voters and the competitive nature of the race.
“I take a lot of pride and am humbled that the voters reelected me,” McClusky said following the ceremony. He emphasized that the responsibility of the bench remains significant to him, noting that throughout his previous term he aimed to ensure fairness to litigants and counsel appearing before the court.
His reelection joins that of Copenhagen attorney Candace Randall, a Democrat, who secured one of the remaining seats. The outcome maintains ideological diversity on the bench — a balance that court observers say reflects the varied electorates across the six-county district.
For McClusky, the new term marks a continuation of work familiar and demanding: hearing arguments, weighing evidence, issuing rulings and, often, urging decorum in a courtroom where emotions naturally run high.
As proceedings resume, the judge returns to a role shaped by patience, legal rigor, and public trust — qualities voters have once again endorsed. Justice, in the 5th Judicial District, enters a new chapter with a familiar hand at the helm.
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