STATE OF NEW YORK
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10626
IN SENATE
June 1, 2026
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Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to judicial departments
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, four-
11 teenth, fifteenth and sixteenth judicial districts.
12 § 2. Section 140 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 10 of the
13 laws of 1948, the opening paragraph and the second undesignated para-
14 graph as amended and the thirteenth undesignated paragraph as added by
15 chapter 690 of the laws of 2007, the first undesignated paragraph as
16 amended by chapter 1006 of the laws of 1981, the tenth undesignated
17 paragraph as amended and the eleventh undesignated paragraph as added by
18 chapter 692 of the laws of 1962, and the twelfth undesignated paragraph
19 as amended by chapter 38 of the laws of 1982, is amended and three new
20 undesignated paragraphs are added to read as follows:
21 § 140. Division of state into judicial districts. The state is hereby
22 divided into [thirteen] sixteen judicial districts, pursuant to the
23 provisions of the first section of the sixth article of the constitu-
24 tion, which districts shall be arranged as follows:
25 The first judicial district shall consist of the county of New York;
26 The second judicial district shall consist of the county of Kings;
27 The third judicial district shall consist of the counties of Columbia,
28 Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schoharie and Rensselaer;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13372-06-6
S. 10626 2
1 The fourth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Warren,
2 Saratoga, Washington, Essex, Franklin, Saint Lawrence, Clinton, Montgom-
3 ery, Hamilton, Fulton and Schenectady;
4 The fifth judicial district shall consist of the counties of [Ononda-
5 ga,] Oneida, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson and Lewis;
6 The sixth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Otsego,
7 Delaware, Madison, Chenango, Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, Cortland
8 and Schuyler;
9 The seventh judicial district shall consist of the counties of Living-
10 ston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben, [Monroe] and Cayuga;
11 The eighth judicial district shall consist of the counties of [Erie,]
12 Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Allegany and Wyom-
13 ing;
14 The ninth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Westches-
15 ter, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Rockland;
16 The tenth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Nassau
17 and Suffolk.
18 The eleventh judicial district shall consist of the county of Queens.
19 The creation of such eleventh district shall not affect or impair the
20 rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee of the
21 supreme court in office on the first day of September, nineteen hundred
22 and sixty-two in the tenth judicial district as theretofore constituted;
23 each such officer or employee employed in the county of Queens on such
24 date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the eleventh judi-
25 cial district and each such officer or employee employed in the counties
26 of Nassau and Suffolk on such date shall thereafter be an officer or
27 employee for the tenth judicial district.
28 The twelfth judicial district shall consist of the county of Bronx.
29 The creation of such twelfth district shall not affect or impair the
30 rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee of the
31 supreme court in office on the first day of January, nineteen hundred
32 eighty-three in the first judicial district as theretofore constituted;
33 each such officer or employee employed in the county of Bronx on such
34 date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the twelfth judicial
35 district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of New
36 York on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
37 first judicial district.
38 The thirteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of Rich-
39 mond. The creation of such thirteenth district shall not affect or
40 impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee
41 of the supreme court in office on the first day of January, two thousand
42 eight in the second judicial district as theretofore constituted; each
43 such officer or employee employed in the county of Richmond on such date
44 shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the thirteenth judicial
45 district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of
46 Kings on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
47 second judicial district.
48 The fourteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of Onon-
49 daga. The creation of such fourteenth district shall not affect or
50 impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee
51 of the unified court system in office on the first day of January, two
52 thousand twenty-eight in the fifth judicial district as theretofore
53 constituted; each such officer or employee employed in the county of
54 Onondaga on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
55 fourteenth judicial district and each such officer or employee employed
56 in the counties of Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego on
S. 10626 3
1 such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the fifth judi-
2 cial district.
3 The fifteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of Monroe.
4 The creation of such fifteenth judicial district shall not affect or
5 impair the rights, privileges, or compensation of any officer or employ-
6 ee of the unified court system in office on the first day of January,
7 two thousand twenty-eight in the seventh judicial district as thereto-
8 fore constituted; each such officer or employee employed in the counties
9 of Livingston, Steuben, Cayuga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates on such
10 date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the seventh judicial
11 district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of
12 Monroe on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
13 fifteenth judicial district;
14 The sixteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of Erie.
15 The creation of such sixteenth district shall not affect or impair the
16 rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee of the
17 unified court system in the office on the first day of January, two
18 thousand twenty-eight in the eighth judicial district as theretofore
19 constituted; each such officer or employee employed in the county of
20 Erie on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
21 sixteenth judicial district and each such officer or employee employed
22 in the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara,
23 Orleans, and Wyoming shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
24 eighth judicial district.
25 § 3. Section 140-a of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 749 of
26 the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
27 § 140-a. Number of supreme court justices in each judicial district.
28 The number of justices of the supreme court in each judicial district
29 shall be as follows:
30 1. First district, thirty-eight;
31 2. Second district, fifty-three;
32 3. Third district, seventeen;
33 4. Fourth district, fourteen;
34 5. Fifth district, [nineteen] nine;
35 6. Sixth district, eleven;
36 7. Seventh district, [twenty] seven;
37 8. Eighth district, [twenty-eight] nine;
38 9. Ninth district, thirty-four;
39 10. Tenth district, fifty-one;
40 11. Eleventh district, forty-four;
41 12. Twelfth district, twenty-nine;
42 13. Thirteenth district, nine[.];
43 14. Fourteenth district, nine;
44 15. Fifteenth district, fourteen;
45 16. Sixteenth district, nineteen.
46 No person may serve in the office of justice of the supreme court
47 unless [he or she] such person has been admitted to practice law in the
48 state of New York for at least ten years as of the date [he or she
49 commences] they commence the duties of office.
50 § 4. The following named justices or their successors in office on the
51 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
52 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
53 and for the fifth judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
54 this act.
55 Julie Denton
S. 10626 4
1 Danielle M. Fogel
2 Elizabeth Snyder Fortino
3 Gregory R. Gilbert
4 James P. McClusky
5 William Ramseier
6 Candace L.L. Randall
7 Peter M. Rayhill
8 Mark Rose
9 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
10 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
11 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
12 and for the seventh judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
13 this act.
14 Elena F. Cariola
15 Jason Cook
16 William K. Taylor
17 Sam L. Valleriani
18 James Vazzana
19 Joseph D. Waldorf
20 Jean Marie Westlake
21 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
22 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
23 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
24 and for the eighth judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
25 this act.
26 Frank Caruso
27 Deborah A. Chimes
28 Emilio L. Colaiacovo
29 Gerald Greenan, III
30 Grace M. Hanlon
31 Joseph Lorigo
32 Michael Norris
33 Raymond W. Walter
34 Paul B. Wojtaszek
35 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
36 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
37 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
38 and for the fourteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
39 this act.
40 Robert E. Antonacci, II
41 Scott J. DelConte
42 John W. Dillon
43 Donald A. Greenwood
44 Deborah H. Karalunas
45 Kevin P. Kuehner
46 Rory McMahon
47 James P. Murphy
48 Gerard J. Neri
49 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
50 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
S. 10626 5
1 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
2 and for the fifteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
3 this act.
4 Victoria M. Argento
5 Vincent M. DiNolfo
6 Daniel J. Doyle
7 John B. Gallagher
8 Darius Lind
9 Stephen K. Lindley
10 Kevin M. Nasca
11 Alexander R. Renzi
12 Stacey Romeo
13 Charles A. Schiano, Jr.
14 David Siguenza
15 Judith A. Sinclair
16 Erin Skinner
17 James E. Walsh
18 The following named justices or their successors in office on the
19 effective date of this act shall for the remainder of the terms for
20 which they were elected or appointed by justices of the supreme court in
21 and for the sixteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
22 this act.
23 Tracey A. Bannister
24 John M. Curran
25 Jorge DeRosas
26 Paula L. Feroleto
27 Deborah A. Haendiges
28 Craig D. Hannah
29 Shannon Heneghan
30 Lynn M. Keane
31 John B. Licata
32 Amy Martoche
33 Mark A. Montour
34 Henry J. Nowak
35 Catherine R. Nugent
36 E. Jeannette Ogden
37 Frank A. Sedita, III
38 Donna M. Siwek
39 Mary L. Slisz
40 Kelly Vacco
41 Gerald J. Whalen
42 § 5. It is the intended object of this act to erect, in the fourth
43 judicial department, the fourteenth judicial district, comprising the
44 county of Onondaga, the fifteenth judicial district, comprising the
45 county of Monroe and the sixteenth judicial district comprising the
46 county of Erie and to provide for the employees thereof selection,
47 designation, nomination and election in the general election to be held
48 in November 2027 of justices whose term is ending or a vacancy exists of
49 the fifth, seventh, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth judicial
50 districts consistent with the foregoing provisions of this act, the
51 state constitution and the laws of the state. Any other consistent
52 provision of law, rule or regulation which by its terms or in its appli-
S. 10626 6
1 cation aids in the accomplishment of such object shall be given full
2 force and effect. Any provision which is inconsistent with the accom-
3 plishment of such object shall be denied force and effect to the extent
4 that it may be applicable thereto.
5 § 6. If any provision of any section of this act is held void or
6 unconstitutional, all other provisions and all other sections of this
7 act which are not expressly held to be void or unconstitutional shall
8 continue in full force and effect.
9 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately except that the provisions
10 of sections one, two, three, and four of this act shall take effect
11 January 1, 2028.
