Creates the fourteenth judicial district consisting of the county of Monroe; provides for continuation of the seventh judicial district and the positions of certain seventh and fourteenth judicial district justices; makes related provisions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5897
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BRONSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the creation of the
fourteenth judicial district consisting of the county of Monroe
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 70 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 690
2 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 70. Judicial departments. The state is hereby divided into four
4 judicial departments. The first department shall consist of the counties
5 embraced within the first and twelfth judicial districts; the second
6 department shall consist of the counties embraced within the second,
7 ninth, tenth, eleventh and thirteenth judicial districts; the third
8 department shall consist of the counties embraced within the third,
9 fourth and sixth judicial districts; the fourth department shall consist
10 of the counties embraced within the fifth, seventh [and], eighth and
11 fourteenth judicial districts.
12 § 2. The opening paragraph and the seventh undesignated paragraph of
13 section 140 of the judiciary law, the opening paragraph as amended by
14 chapter 690 of the laws of 2007 and the seventh undesignated paragraph
15 as amended by chapter 10 of the laws of 1948, are amended and a new
16 fourteenth undesignated paragraph is added to read as follows:
17 The state is hereby divided into [thirteen] fourteen judicial
18 districts, pursuant to the provisions of the first section of the sixth
19 article of the constitution, which districts shall be arranged as
20 follows:
21 The seventh judicial district shall consist of the counties of Living-
22 ston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben[, Monroe] and Cayuga;
23 The fourteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of
24 Monroe. The creation of such fourteenth judicial district shall not
25 affect or impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05444-01-5
A. 5897 2
1 or employee of the supreme court in office on the first day of January,
2 two thousand twenty-six in the seventh judicial district as theretofore
3 constituted; each such officer or employee employed in the county of
4 Monroe on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
5 fourteenth judicial district and each such officer or employee employed
6 in the counties of Livingston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben
7 and Cayuga on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for
8 the seventh judicial district.
9 § 3. Subdivisions 7 and 13 of section 140-a of the judicial law, as
10 amended by chapter 749 of the laws of 2023, are amended and a new subdi-
11 vision 14 is added to read as follows:
12 7. Seventh district, [twenty] six;
13 13. Thirteenth district, nine[.]; and
14 14. Fourteenth district, fourteen.
15 § 4. The county of Monroe shall establish, maintain and expand, if
16 necessary, its court library, as established in accordance with sections
17 813 and 814 of the judiciary law, to accommodate the needs of the four-
18 teenth judicial district.
19 § 5. The following named justices or their successors in office on the
20 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
21 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
22 and for the seventh judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
23 this act.
24 Elena F. Cariola
25 Jason Cook
26 Craig J. Doran
27 William K. Taylor
28 James A. Vazzana
29 Joseph D. Waldorf
30 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
31 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
32 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
33 and for the fourteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
34 this act.
35 Victoria M. Argento
36 Vincent M. Dinolfo
37 Gail A. Donofrio
38 Daniel J. Doyle
39 John B. Gallagher, Jr.
40 Steven K. Lindley
41 Kevin M. Nasca
42 Alex R. Renzi
43 Stacey M. Romeo
44 Judith A. Sinclair
45 Charles A. Schiano, Jr.
46 Erin Skinner
47 Sam L. Valleriani
48 James W. Walsh
49 § 6. It is the intended object of this act to erect, in the fourth
50 judicial department, the fourteenth judicial district, comprised of the
51 county of Monroe and to provide for the employees thereof selection,
52 designation, nomination and election in the general election to be held
53 in November, 2026 of justices of the seventh and fourteenth judicial
54 districts consistent with the foregoing provisions of this act. Any
55 other consistent provision of law, rule or regulation which by its terms
56 or in its application aids in the accomplishment of such object shall be
A. 5897 3
1 given full force and effect. Any provision which is inconsistent with
2 the accomplishment of such object shall be denied force and effect to
3 the extent that it may be applicable thereto.
4 § 7. If any provisions of any section of this act shall be held void
5 or unconstitutional, all other provisions and all other sections of this
6 act which are not expressly held to be void or unconstitutional shall
7 continue in full force and effect.
8 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
9 sections one through five of this act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
