Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced on Friday the appointment of two attorneys to fill openings on the Buffalo City Court bench.
Samuel Davis, an attorney in private, fills the vacancy created by Mayor Brown's June 30 appointment of Judge JaHarr Pridgen as Chief Judge of Buffalo City Court.
Gary Wilson, Principal Law Clerk to the Hon. John Licata of New York State Supreme Court, fills the spot previously held by Judge Betty Calvo Torres, who was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"I am honored to make these appointments to Buffalo City Court," said Mayor Brown in a statement on Friday. "They are not only accomplished attorneys, they also bring diverse educational and life experiences to the bench which will make Buffalo City Court even more representative of the residents of our city."
Judge Davis moved to Buffalo in 1999 to attend the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, and after earning his Juris Doctorate degree, he made Buffalo his home. His law practice has focused on criminal, family, and personal injury law.
As for Judge Wilson, a Buffalo native and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, he believes visibility and representation matter, and looks forward to bringing the qualities of justice and equality to the bench of Buffalo
City Court.
A graduate of Nichols School, Wilson earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Studies, and a
Master's Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Prior to becoming Principal Law Clerk to State Supreme Justice Licata, Judge Wilson served as Erie County Commissioner of Labor Relations for nearly four years, and previously served as the County's Deputy Labor Relations Commissioner. Judge Wilson also served as a Labor Relations Specialist for the University at Buffalo and Assistant Legal Counsel to the Buffalo Public School System.
