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State Supreme Court Judge Elma Bellini has died

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.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.