Syracuse’s new judge: Jean Marie Westlake

In the 80s, the children of Wetzel Road Elementary School in Liverpool wore their hair combs tucked in the back of their jeans. It was common for children to steal one another’s combs and run away with them during recess. When children complained to their teacher, Mr. Mazza, about their stolen combs, he’d simply refer them to “the attorney.”

That “attorney” was the playground’s very own Jean Marie Westlake, a fifth grader at the time. She was the one to negotiate how to get the combs back and resolve each playground dispute. These were the moments when Westlake said she knew she would become an attorney one day. 

“I always got the combs back, just so we’re clear,” said Westlake, 53.  

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in industrial labor relations from Le Moyne College and earning a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University, Westlake began a 23-year career as a litigation attorney. Just this past November, however, Westlake entered a new role, elected as a justice for the New York Supreme Court, Fifth Judicial District. 

Photo by Chuck Wainwright

Headshot of Judge Westlake.

“I think I was born to do this position. Frankly, I think if you ask anybody, they’re not shocked that I’m in this position at all,” Westlake said. “I’ve got the skill set, the personality, and if you love what you do, people can tell.” 

Westlake’s passion is clear to Gina LeBlanc, who worked as a paralegal under Westlake for 14 years at the law firm DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers. When Westlake got elected to serve as a judge, LeBlanc left her job at the law firm to work as Westlake’s secretary. 

“She will work all hours of the day, all hours of the night, to do whatever she needs to do to succeed in her work,” LeBlanc said. “There’s not another career out there for her. She lives and breathes the law.”  

Even though being a judge is a relatively new role for Westlake, her passion for the position is evident in how her face lights up as she talks about it. There was a smile and a set of widened green eyes for each word she spoke about evidence, the courtroom, the law— especially the research and learning required in all of it.  

Earlier this year, she made a decision on a mental hygiene hearing, an area of law that was brand new to her. But Westlake was not daunted when it was time to take the bench.  

“I love not knowing stuff,” Westlake said. “I had to research it. And I find that absolutely fascinating, the ability to learn the different areas of the law, and being exposed to that type of thing. It’s just exciting and it makes me happy.” 

But Westlake’s passion for learning does not stop in the courtroom. Even while browsing the aisles of Target with her daughter, Gabriella Spoto, 21, Westlake’s curiosity was palpable. She inquired about unfamiliar hair products (“what’s that pink bottle?”), picking up and investigating each new shampoo and conditioner. She was observant of new changes to the space (“when did they put an Ulta in here?”), and stopped for a second to analyze how long it had been since she’d come to the Target in Fayetteville. When her daughter mentioned she needed help removing tire-mark stains from her clothing (“what, did you get run over?”), Westlake debated whether they should research homeopathic remedies before deciding her daughter’s best bet might be OxiClean. 

Photo by Colette Goldstein

Judge Westlake and her daughter shopping at Target.

As a mother of 2, Westlake’s role in her family becomes a valuable tool back in the courtroom. She calls it the “mom effect.” 

“You know when to be caring, you know when to be stern, you know when to push and you know when to pull back, and you know when to make people feel that they’ve been heard and that they’ve had their day in court,” Westlake said. 

Spoto said her mother’s work has always been a big aspect of who she is as a person.  

“Growing up, it was hard to argue with her,” Spoto said. “Having her as a mother, when she’s like, ‘no,’ you’re just like, ‘okay.”  

But there are also sides of her mother that people don’t see. To Spoto, Westlake is someone who is fiery and “lives up to being a redhead.” She is someone who giggles to herself in the kitchen at 11 p.m. scrolling on Facebook reels. She’s someone with a dry sense of humor whose straight face makes her jokes even funnier. 

“I’m not as serious as I seem,” Westlake said. “I’m actually pretty funny and fun, but I come across very serious and very determined. That’s just my personality.” 

Westlake’s secretary agreed. 

“She’s a really good time,” LeBlanc said. “She just connects well with so many people, so many different personalities, which made her such a great attorney, and now I think a great judge.”