ROCHESTER, NY - A well known local judge has died. Elma Bellini, a State Supreme Court Justice who began her career as a jurist in 2000 when she was first appointed as a judge, has died after a battle with cancer at the age of 63.
Bellini was elected to her current position at a State Supreme Court Justice in 2009 for the 7th judicial district. Her term would have gone until 2022.
A statement released by Administrative Judge Craig Doran says that the judicial community is deeply saddened by the loss of Bellini, and says that the community has lost a fierce, extraordinarily competent and compassionate defender of justice.
Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo issued a statement which said that from the early days of Bellini’s career as an Assistant Public Defender to her “stellar tenure” as a County Court Judge and then a Supreme Court Justice, Bellini was deeply committed to justice and public service.
In Judge Bellini's honor, Dinolfo will be ordering flags to fly at half-staff at all Monroe County facilities on Monday.
Funeral arrangements are pending.