Requires the chief administrator of the courts to provide reports on legal training programs conducted by the office of court administration, the performance of the judges and justices of the unified court system, and the security of the judicial and non-judicial officers of the unified court system.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4867
SPONSOR: Gonzalez-Rojas TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring the chief
administrator of the courts to provide certain reports related to the
office of court administration
PURPOSE:
To require judicial reporting of legal training programs, performances
of judges and justices of the unified court system, and information
regarding security measures for judicial and non judicial officers of
the unified court system.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends section 212 of the judiciary law to add a new subdi-
vision 3 which requires that the chief administrator collects and
compiles data on legal training programs conducted by or under the
supervision of the office of court administration for the judges and
justices of the unified court system.
Section two amends section 212 of the judiciary law to add a new subdi-
vision 4 which requires that the chief administrator prepare an annual
report and on the performance of judges and justices in the unified
court system.
Section three amends section 212 of the judiciary law to add a new
subdivision 5 which requires the chief administrator to submit an annual
report on the security of the judicial and non judicial officers of the
unified court system to executive and legislative leaders as well as the
Judiciary chairs in each legislative body.
Section four sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill requires that OCA increase transparency in reporting legal
training programs, performances of judges and justices of the unified
court system, and information regarding security measures for judicial
and non judicial officers of the unified court system.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: Introduced and referred to Judiciary Committee
2023: Introduced and referred to Judiciary Committee.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4867
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, SIMON, SHIMSKY -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring the chief
administrator of the courts to provide certain reports related to the
office of court administration
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 212 of the judiciary law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3 3. (a) The chief administrator shall collect and compile data on legal
4 training programs conducted by, or under the supervision of, the office
5 of court administration for the judges and justices of the unified court
6 system, including:
7 (i) the date, time, location, and topic of each training program;
8 (ii) the judges and justices who attended each training program; and
9 (iii) any materials presented and/or distributed at each training
10 program, such as slideshows, case compilations, and reference guides.
11 (b) On or before the first day of January of each year, the chief
12 administrator shall submit a report to the governor, the temporary pres-
13 ident of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly containing the data
14 required to be collected and compiled by this subdivision. Such report
15 shall also contain legal reference materials distributed or otherwise
16 made available, in whatever form, to judges and justices for day-to-day
17 practice, such as bench cards and bench books.
18 § 2. Section 212 of the judiciary law is amended by adding a new
19 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
20 4. (a) The chief administrator shall prepare an annual report on the
21 performance of the judges and justices of the unified court system. The
22 chief administrator shall submit such report to the governor, the tempo-
23 rary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, and shall
24 publish such report on the website of the office of court adminis-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08622-01-5
A. 4867 2
1 tration, on or before the first day of January of each year. Such report
2 shall include:
3 (i) rules, policies and procedures of the office of court adminis-
4 tration for promoting the timely and just resolution of actions and
5 proceedings, including standards and goals for motion resolution and
6 case disposition; and
7 (ii) for each judge and justice:
8 (A) the number of cases in which the standards and goals described in
9 subparagraph (i) of this paragraph were, and were not, met;
10 (B) the number of motions that have been pending for more than six
11 months and the name of each case in which such motion has been pending;
12 (C) the number of bench trials that have been submitted for more than
13 six months and the name of each case in which such trials are under
14 submission;
15 (D) the number and names of cases that have not been terminated within
16 three years of filing; and
17 (E) the number of orders and judgments reversed, modified, or vacated
18 on appeal, for whatever reason, by a higher court.
19 (b) The information required under subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a)
20 of this subdivision shall be posted in a searchable, sortable, alphanu-
21 meric form that can be digitally transmitted or processed, and not in
22 portable document format or scanned copies of original documents.
23 § 3. Section 212 of the judiciary law is amended by adding a new
24 subdivision 5 to read as follows:
25 5. (a) On or before June first, two thousand twenty-six, and every
26 year thereafter on or before January first, the chief administrator
27 shall submit an annual report on the security of the judicial and non-
28 judicial officers of the unified court system to the governor, the
29 temporary president of the senate, the chair of the senate committee on
30 the judiciary, the speaker of the assembly, and the chair of the assem-
31 bly committee on the judiciary. Such report shall include, for the
32 preceding year:
33 (i) the number of threats directed at judicial and non-judicial offi-
34 cers and their families;
35 (ii) the number of physical assaults and attempted assaults on judi-
36 cial and non-judicial officers and their families;
37 (iii) the number of police reports filed and criminal prosecutions
38 related to subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph; and
39 (iv) the number of judicial officers, non-judicial officers, former
40 judicial officers, and former non-judicial officers covered by extraor-
41 dinary security measures at any point in the preceding year, and the
42 cumulative cost of such extraordinary security measures. For the purpose
43 of this subdivision, extraordinary security measures shall mean security
44 measures other than security provided at a courthouse on a daily basis
45 by uniformed court officers or a local sheriff or police department,
46 including but not limited to an off-hours, non-courthouse guard detail.
47 (b) The first report required under paragraph (a) of this subdivision
48 shall cover two thousand twenty-five and January through March of two
49 thousand twenty-six.
50 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
