Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation to reduce case backlog in family and civil courts by expanding the number of judges appointed and elected statewide.
“Civil and family courts adjudicate some of the most sensitive issues New Yorkers face, and for too long, backlogs and delays have inhibited their ability to function effectively,” Governor Hochul said. “This legislation gives our courts the tools to tackle the case backlog and carry out the fair and efficient justice system New Yorkers deserve.”
Legislation S.9839/A.10540 increases the number of family and civil court judges throughout New York State by 28. Two will be assigned to Nassau County, two will be assigned to Suffolk County, and one additional judge will be assigned in each of the following counties: Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Erie, Jefferson, Rensselaer, Rockland and Westchester counties. The legislation will also add 16 judges for New York City, including citywide positions that will be distributed across the five boroughs at the discretion of the Mayor of the City of New York. These reforms will help address well-documented backlogs and delays throughout the family court process and expedite proceedings. OCA is constantly monitoring where judges are needed throughout the state and will address individual communities’ needs to ensure a balanced and efficient distribution of judicial resources.
New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Rowan Wilson said, “Addressing the needs of families in distress is one of the highest priorities of the New York State Unified Court System, and we applaud Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their leadership on this issue. Creating these new judgeships across the State, together with the augmentation of resources required to serve our families, will greatly enhance our ongoing efforts to improve the lives of children and families and to ensure that individuals appearing in Family Court receive the fair, thoughtful and expeditious delivery of justice that they deserve.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Some of the most important and intimate legal matters go through our Family Court system but lately, due to a lack of resources, our state’s Family Court system has fallen into a state of disarray. Last fall, the New York State Senate held a hearing on the crisis in New York State’s Family Court to detail these concerns and consider possible solutions. One of the many valuable ideas to come out of this hearing, and the subsequent report published by my office, was the desperate need to increase the number of Family Court judges which could help address the thousands of backlogged cases in the system. I’m thrilled that today my bill with Assembly Member Dais to do just that has been signed into law. We will be creating 24 new civil court judges for Family Court across New York State. I am grateful to Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Governor Hochul for listening to the concerns of our constituents and committing to increasing resources for our Family Court System in both the state budget and in the passing of this law today. I am hopeful that this increase in judgeships will allow more children and families to have their cases heard, and seek justice, in a timely manner.”
Assemblymember Landon C. Dais said, “I sponsored this bill in the Assembly because I recognize the critical gap we must bridge in our family and civil court system to improve the quality of justice they deliver to those in our communities. By adding more judges to the Family Courts system in New York City and State, this legislation will be a landmark improvement for many families. Too many cases are backlogged partially due to the shortage of Judges in our family courts and civil courts systems negatively impacting our most vulnerable. When this bill is enacted, these court systems can expedite case proceedings and justice can reach more families in a timely and equitable manner. I applaud Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal for his work on the bill and Governor Hochul for signing the bill.”