State Supreme Court in Mayville has seen a number of outside judges come and go from the bench since 2003.

The last time a Supreme Court justice was elected from Chautauqua County was Joseph Gerace in 1991.

Those things could change, however, with the announcement of county resident Grace M. Hanlon’s candidacy for state Supreme Court justice.

Hanlon, a Fredonia resident, is the confidential law clerk to Chautauqua County Court Judge David Foley. As Supreme Court justice, Hanlon said she’d bring continuity and dedication to the courtroom.

Ever since Joseph Gerace left the bench in 2003, an array of justices, mainly from Erie and Niagara counties, have made their way to state Supreme Court in Chautauqua County to handle what’s considered the caseload of a full-time judge.

After Gerace left the bench, a promise came from former Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Steve Pigeon that state Supreme Court in Chautauqua County would continue to hold a resident judge.

That didn’t happen.

Fast forward to today, Hanlon, a Democrat, is hoping to become the first State Supreme Court justice elected from Chautauqua County in 25 years.

Two seats on the Supreme Court are up for grabs this November with three outside candidates and Hanlon vying for the seats. Candidates will gain access to the ballot through the judicial conventions, which each party will hold later this month in Buffalo. It appears there will be no cross endorsements.

Hanlon said there’s a need for Chautauqua County to have a Supreme Court justice who’s local.

“This is about having a community member on the bench who’s sensitive to the community’s issues,” Hanlon said, adding the county needs to have one of its own on the bench. “I’ve received good reception so far and I have a lot of legal support as well as the support from residents.”

Along with Chautauqua County, Hanlon is going to residents’ doors in Erie County since they’ll be one of the larger deciding factors to who gets elected in November. Hanlon said she’s also been attune to all the political happenings in Erie County as she works alongside Judge Foley in Buffalo.

A University of Buffalo graduate in 1986, Hanlon went on to attend the University College of London and J.D. Pace University School of Law. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1990 and has practiced law in Chautauqua County since 1992.

Hanlon’s experience in law is broad as she was an assistant public defender in Chautauqua County, associate attorney with Fessenden, Laumer and DeAngelo and first assistant district attorney. During her nine years as first assistant district attorney, she managed over 200 felony criminal cases a year in Chautauqua County.

Hanlon was on the trial team that successfully prosecuted the criminal cases involving Anthony Taglianetti, who was found guilty of second-degree murder for killing Clymer Central School superintendent Keith Reed Jr. in 2012, and Davide Coggins, who was found guilty of two counts of felony murder after murdering Carroll residents Gordon and Joyce Skinner in 2013.

Hanlon also prosecuted the cases involving Jason Wells, who was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the death of his friend and neighbor in Fredonia, and Corey Kimmy, of Brocton, who was convicted of second-degree kidnapping following a May 2011 incident.

As Supreme Court justice, Hanlon said she’d take part of the criminal case load in Chautauqua County in order to have speedy litigation on all fronts.

In addition, lawyers and clients wouldn’t need to travel to Buffalo for pretrials as they frequently do with current justices if there’s a resident judge in Chautauqua County.

Norman P. Green, Democratic Party chairman for Chautauqua County, said it’s a good year to run since more voters will be turning out in a presidential year. Green said Hanlon has impeccable credentials and is overly qualified for the job.

“There’s not a single lawyer that doesn’t want this,” he said.

Hanlon is the 2015 recipient of the Outstanding Woman in Law Award from the 8th Judicial District Gender & Racial Fairness Committee. She is also the former vice president of the Northern Chautauqua County Bar Association.