Nicole E. Bayly (fourth from the left) is surrounded by her family and supporters. Photo provided by Nicole Bayly
BY JENNIFER CROWLEY
On Monday, January 29th, Monroe County Republican Chairman Bill Reilich introduced the GOP’s trio of judicial candidates for the 2018 election. One of these candidates is Wheatland Town Justice, Nicole E. Bayly. Judge Bayly has presided over criminal matters, traffic violations and civil cases within both Wheatland and Scottsville since 2014. However the vast majority of her legal career has been spent working in Monroe County Family Court.
Judge Bayly moved to the Rochester area in the early 1990s to pursue her undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester. She graduated magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2006 with her Juris Doctorate and was admitted to the New York State Bar shortly thereafter. Her 2018 candidacy reflects a lifelong interest and dedication to at-risk children. In addition to representing parents and family members as an attorney in the county’s Conflict Defender’s Office, Judge Bayly has also served as a Deputy County Attorney in the Monroe County Law Department – Children’s Services Unit. In that role she represented the Department of Human Services and Child Protective Services in cases concerning child abuse and neglect.
“The work we do in family court is to make sure our children are safe, and that our families have the support and services they need to take care of one another. This work has been my passion my entire adult life. It is the reason I became an attorney,” said Judge Bayly.
In addition to serving the county and families professionally for over a decade, Judge Bayly also has significant personal experience navigating the Family Court system: she has been a foster parent for Monroe County for almost nineteen years. On top of raising six children, she has welcomed nearly 80 infants, toddlers, adolescents and teenagers in need of long term, short term, respite or emergency care, into her home.
Judge Bayly’s children range in age from twelve to twenty-seven. Over the years she has become an active volunteer supporting school events and youth athletics in the Wheatland/Scottsville community. Beyond serving as a Town Justice, she currently works as the confidential law clerk for Monroe County Family Court Judge James E. Walsh, Jr.
