Erie County Democrats tonight unanimously endorsed prosecutor Michael J. Keane as the party’s District Attorney candidate in 2024.

Keane has held the role of First Deputy District Attorney since 2017, responsible for supervising more than 100 lawyers in the office and all of its divisions and bureaus. He has taken the lead on many high-profile homicide cases, including the racially motivated mass shooting that claimed 10 innocent lives at the Jefferson Avenue Tops supermarket on May 14, 2022.

“The District Attorney’s job demands the experience and expertise to handle the worst crimes that come before the courts, as well as the integrity to uphold justice and earn the public’s trust,” Democratic Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner said. “Mike Keane has the right vision to lead the DA’s office into the future, and we are proud to endorse and stand with him.”

“The law has been my career and my calling for 30 years, and growing up I learned the value of public service very early on,” said Keane, referring to his father, former South Buffalo Assemblyman Richard J. Keane. “And the greatest honor I have had is serving as a prosecutor on behalf of the people of Erie County.

“I have been at the forefront of modernizing the DA’s office and ensuring that we meet the highest ethical standards, in and out of the courtroom, while never losing sight of our most fundamental mission: keeping our community safe and holding the guilty responsible,” Keane said. 

As First Deputy, Keane has overhauled the DA’s continuing legal education programs and established stricter guidelines for evidence discovery and expanded diversity in the office’s hiring practices. His innovations also include the Opioid Intervention Court in the City of Buffalo, the first in the US, as well as special courts to combat human trafficking, youth gun violence, and DWI. 

Keane, a graduate of Canisius High School and the UB School of Law, first served in the DA’s office from 1994 to 1999 before practicing criminal and civil law in the private sector, arguing cases and appeals in state and federal courts.