Born and raised in Riverhead, Lori M. Hulse has served as Town Justice since 2016. She implemented on-line payments and not guilty pleas for parking tickets, computerized the bench and started monthly night court to better serve non-attorney litigants. While town and village courts remained closed during the pandemic, Judge Hulse’s court was the first in the state to conduct virtual court including arraignments, dispositions and conferences. Judge Hulse’s court is one of the busiest on the East End, and she has presided over many jury trials, bench trials and hearings.

An attorney for 30 years, Judge Hulse graduated from St. John’s University School of Law, where she was the first female president of the Bar Assocation in the school’s history. She previously served as an Assistant District Attorney, an Assistant Town Attorney and has operated her own private practice. She also served on the Riverhead Board of Education for seven years, four as the Board’s President.

Judge Hulse has two adult children and lives in Riverhead with her husband Mike.