Northwood Trustee Elected State Supreme Court Justice

Ms. Allison McGahay (photo provided).

Northwood School Trustee Allison McGahay was elected to the state Supreme Court in November, and she will be sworn in to serve a 14-year term next month. The New York State Supreme Court is the highest trial court in New York. It has general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases and hears cases involving contracts, torts, real estate, and criminal offenses. The New York State Supreme Court is organized into four judicial departments, each of which is responsible for hearing cases in a particular geographic area of the state. McGahay received the most votes of the six candidates who ran for the three open seats. She is the first woman to win a State Supreme Court seat in the 4th Judicial District, which encompasses the Adirondacks.

McGahay is a Lake Placid local who lives in town with her husband, Bill, and two young children, Liam and Grace. She has been a lawyer for 17 years and graduated from Albany Law school. In 2020, she joined the Northwood School Board of Trustees, where she serves on the legal committee.

McGahay began her election bid in 2021 and campaigned all over the state for over a year. She spent her days visiting small Adirondack towns and the Albany region. In the Adirondacks, her yard signs were ubiquitous.

Her jurisdiction ranges from north of Albany to the Canadian border. Once sworn in, she will split her time between Lake Placid, Elizabethtown (the seat of Essex County), and Albany.

She is a dedicated attorney, mother, Trustee, and now State Supreme Court Justice!