New York State Supreme Court · 13th Judicial District

Civil Court judge and Legal Aid public defender vie for open Staten Island seat

No incumbent is running for this seat. The Democratic nominee, Kelvin Richards, is a Legal Aid Society public defender; the Republican nominee, Michael J. Pinto, has been a Civil Court judge since Jan. 2024.

Overview Record

How this race works

How the vote works: One justice is to be elected on Nov. 3, 2026. Richards appears on the Democratic line and Pinto on the Republican line.
What the court does: Despite its name, the Supreme Court is a trial court, one of the trial courts serving Richmond County (Staten Island). The Supreme Court generally hears cases outside the authority of the lower courts, such as civil cases involving higher dollar amounts; divorce, separation and annulment cases; and felony prosecutions. In New York City it has exclusive jurisdiction over crimes prosecuted by indictment, except where the Legislature gives certain misdemeanor and family cases to other courts.
Term: Justices serve 14-year terms, beginning Jan. 1 after their election.
Why candidates take no positions: New York's judicial conduct rules bar judicial candidates from making pledges or promises of conduct in office, or commitments on cases, controversies or issues likely to come before the court, that are inconsistent with impartially performing the court's duties (22 NYCRR 100.5(A)(4)(d)).

Sources (5)

Candidates

Kelvin Richards

Legal Aid Society public defender · Admitted to the bar in New Jersey (2012) and New York (2013)

On the Democratic line in this election.

Robert E. Brown

Michael J. Pinto

Civil Court judge, Staten Island · Admitted to the New York bar in 2013

On the Republican line; selected as the Republican Party's 2026 nominee for this Supreme Court seat.

Sergeants Benevolent Association +1

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Professional record

Experience, selected cases, and qualification assessments. Case coverage is still developing.

2 candidates · 0 selected case examples · 1 candidate with evaluations

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Researched & verified Sep 29, 2026. Compiled from verified public sources; claims that failed verification are excluded.

How to read our research & coverage

Sources (19)

vote.nyc elections.ny.gov nycourts.gov cjc.ny.gov nycbar.org nycbar.org nycourts.gov nysenate.gov nysenate.gov law.cornell.edu assets.alm.com wagner.edu ballotpedia.org ballotpedia.org ballotpedia.org branch.vote theballotbrief.com theballotbrief.com nynewspress.com