23 Facts About Mark Grisanti

Mark John Grisanti was born on October 21,1964 and is an American lawyer, politician, and former judge from New York.

Mark Grisanti served in the State Senate from 2011 to 2014, when he was defeated in the Republican primary and lost his third-party bid for re-election in the general election.

Mark Grisanti is notable as one of four Republican members of the New York State Senate that voted in favor of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011.

Mark Grisanti was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in May 2015 and later became an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Eighth Judicial District.

Mark Grisanti was censured in 2024 for his conduct in a 2020 altercation with a police officer and for judging matters involving another attorney "with whom he had an ongoing financial relationship".

Mark Grisanti was raised in Buffalo as the youngest of six brothers and sisters.

Mark Grisanti graduated from Canisius College and Thomas M Cooley Law School.

Mark Grisanti was defeated in the 2008 Democratic primary for the 60th Senate District, losing heavily to Antoine Thompson, 72 to 28 percent; Thompson went on to win the Senate seat in the state's 2008 general election.

Mark Grisanti stood for election to the State Senate again in the 2010 state senate elections; this time, he ran as a Republican.

In 2012, Mark Grisanti received significant support and visibility from Senate Republicans; the party engaged in a "Protect Mark Grisanti" effort to increase his electability in the lead-up to the elections.

Mark Grisanti faced a challenge in the Republican primary for the 60th district from attorney Kevin Stocker of Kenmore, NY.

Mark Grisanti won re-election in the 2012 general election, receiving 63,683 votes.

Mark Grisanti was defeated by Kevin Stocker in a Republican primary in September 2014.

Mark Grisanti remained in the 2014 general election race on a third-party line, he finished in third place in a hotly contested election; the winner, Democrat Marc Panepinto, received only 3,681 votes more than Mark Grisanti did.

Mark Grisanti had declared his opposition to same-sex marriage during his 2010 campaign.

On June 24,2011, following multiple meetings with Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mark Grisanti voted in favor of the Marriage Equality Act, which allows gender-neutral marriages for both same- and opposite-sex couples in New York.

On February 11,2012, Mark Grisanti was involved in an altercation at a fundraising gala held at the Seneca Niagara Casino.

Mark Grisanti said he had been attacked after trying to mediate a dispute, but some witnesses told reporters that he was the aggressor.

Mark Grisanti voted in favor of the NY SAFE Act, a controversial gun control measure.

Also in 2013, Grisanti was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage in the Hollingsworth v Perry case.

Mark Grisanti's appointment was confirmed by the New York State Senate on May 5,2015.

Mark Grisanti was investigated by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct in connection with a June 22,2020 confrontation with members of the Buffalo Police Department.

Mark Grisanti was handcuffed and placed in a police vehicle, but was not charged over the incident.