26-02-2025
Elmira City Court Judge race takes shape
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – The race for Elmira City Court Judge is now taking shape as longtime Judge Steven Forrest is set to retire this year.
Forrest has been a city court judge for around three decades and is retiring because the mandatory retirement age for judges and justices in New York State is seventy years of age. That's according to the New York State Constitution.
The two candidates that have announced they're running are Attorney Daniel Cain and Attorney Jordan Yorke. Both are longtime residents of Chemung County and have been practicing law for decades. 18 News had the opportunity to sit down with both candidates to learn more about their work and what they hope to bring to the job.
Cain is entering his 20th year as a practicing attorney and says now is the right time to make this move.
'I had spent so long in private practice and I am now, you know, working as a court attorney in county court that, you know, I felt that I was fully prepared to do it, that I am fully prepared, you know to do that. I have that experience,' Attorney Daniel Cain.
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He says his experiences handling criminal, civil and family cases make him ready to take on the new role.
'Listening I think is a big part of the job and you have that other component of you know, you listen to people, you put yourself in their shoes. But then again at the end of the day there's a kind of personal responsibility there that I have to take as a father as a professional as I would have to take as a judge,' said Cain.
Yorke is now in year 11 of practicing, most of it at Elmira City Court. He says his experience as Assistant District Attorney qualifies him to be the next City Court Judge.
'I have handled thousands of cases in Elmira City Court. that includes pre-trial practice, pre-trial hearings, misdemeanor trials, violation level trials. I also did felony work in Chemung County Court. Eleven years of experience. That's not 20 years. That's not 30 years, but what that experience entails is consistent work in Elmira City Court,' said Attorney Jordan Yorke.
He says being a City Court Judge has been a longtime goal of his.
'I was a philosophy major and it really instilled with me the idea of truth and searching for the truth. During my time at the assistant district attorney's office, it was ingrained in us the right thing. What is the right thing? Seeking justice,' said Yorke.
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Both have families living in the area and have the safety of the community top of mind heading into the campaign.
'I think to bring to the job a sense of empathy, responsibility. You know, kind of those characteristics that I think a judge should have. You know, judicial temperament, respect for people. This is a community that's home, so to try to make that community the best as possible for my family and for everyone's families,' said Attorney Cain.
'A judge needs to be fair and impartial, so in order to keep the community safe in my eyes would be to follow those principles and do what the judge's role is as opposed to be active in any other way,' said Attorney Yorke.
The primaries for this race are scheduled to take place in June and the general election will be in November.
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