Six candidates are vying for five of the state Supreme Court Justice positions in the eighth judicial district. With the exception of Joseph C. Lorigo and Shannon Heneghan, all the those seeking election have received the endorsement of the Democrat and Republican parties.

Others in the race include Craig Hannah, Kelly A. Vacco, Gerald Greenan and Tracey A. Bannister. In these matters, we usually yield to a body that can give a better determination of the candidates than we can. That would be the Erie County Bar Association, which rates the candidates.

“Judicial candidates are evaluated on criteria necessary to hold judicial office, including integrity, experience, professional ability, education, reputation, industry, temperament, fairness, statutory standards, attitude, punctuality, and knowledge of the law,” the Bar Association states on its web site. “Judicial candidates are asked to complete a written questionnaire and are also interviewed as part of a multi-faceted rating process. Interviews with lawyers and judges who have interacted with the candidates are also considered in determining the rating for judicial office, as well as a membership survey.”

Those not receiving recommendations have called the process “political.” Since it is an election, that’s certainly open to debate.

In this race, we endorse four: Bannister and Hannah, both of whom received “outstanding” ratings by the bar; we also back Heneghan and Vacco, who were both viewed as “well qualified.”

Both Greenan and Lorigo were “not recommended” by the association and thus do not receive our backing.