Acting District Attorney Chosen for Westchester

An acting district attorney for Westchester County has been chosen to take the place of Janet DiFiore.

First Deputy District Attorney James McCarty will take over until a special election is held for a new district attorney. The election will be Tuesday, Nov. 8.

DiFiore resigned as district attorney once she had been confirmed by the state Senate to become the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York.

McCarty previously served as the Chief of Trial Operations directly overseeing all superior and local court trials in Westchester County and was also the Deputy Division Chief of the Superior Court Trial Division.

He has tried more than 100 cases, including the successful prosecutions of Carolyn Warmus and serial kill Patrick Baxter.

McCarty is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Albany Law School.

In a prepared statement, McCarty said it had been an honor working with DiFiore.

“There is no one serving in the public sector that I hold in higher esteem,” he said. “I look forward to leading the excellent staff she has assemble over the coming year.”