What is a spouse's right to inherit life insurance proceeds?

In most state, including NY, an individual does not have the unqualified right to disinherit their spouse.  The law provides that, regardless of the provisions of an individual's Will, an individual's surviving spouse has the right to "elect" to take up to 1/3 of the estate outright (however, if this right is exercised, any interest of the electing spouse under the decedent's Will is extinguished).  The election is made against assets passing by Will and by "testamentary substitutes" (e.g. joint property, in-trust-for accounts, revocable trusts, etc).  However life insurance proceeds are not deemed to be a testamentary substitute, therefore a spouse has no right of election against them.