New York State Assembly

 
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A08883 Summary:

A08883 Actions:

A08883 Committee Votes:

Committee:RULES   Chair:Glick      
DATE:06/12/2025AYE/NAY:20/9  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Excused
Barclay
Nay
Pretlow
Aye
Hawley
Nay
Cook
Aye
Blankenbush
Nay
Glick
Aye
Ra
Nay
Dinowitz
Aye
Brabenec
Nay
Colton
Aye
Palmesano
Nay
Magnarelli
Aye
Reilly
Nay
Paulin
Aye
Smith
Nay
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Jensen
Nay
Benedetto
Aye
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Davila
Aye
Hyndman
Aye
Rozic
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Hevesi
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Taylor
Aye
Cruz
Aye
Vanel
Excused

Committee:WAYS AND MEANS   Chair:Pretlow      
DATE:06/12/2025AYE/NAY:24/10  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Pretlow
Aye
Ra
Nay
Glick
Aye
Fitzpatrick
Nay
Colton
Aye
Hawley
Nay
Cook
Aye
Blankenbush
Nay
Benedetto
Aye
Palmesano
Nay
Weprin
Excused
Walsh
Nay
Ramos
Aye
DeStefano
Nay
Braunstein
Aye
Manktelow
Nay
McDonald
Aye
Smullen
Nay
Rozic
Aye
Giglio
Nay
Dinowitz
Aye
Magnarelli
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Dilan
Aye
Seawright
Aye
Hyndman
Aye
Walker
Aye
Bichotte Hermel
Aye
Simon
Aye
Cruz
Aye
Otis
Aye
Solages
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Epstein
Aye
Septimo
Aye

A08883 Floor Votes:

A08883 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          8883
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      June 9, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. RIVERA, PEOPLES-STOKES -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Ways and Means
 
        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, and fifteenth 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 two new
    20  undesignated paragraphs fourteen  and  fifteen  are  added  to  read  as
    21  follows:
    22    §  140. Division of state into judicial districts. The state is hereby
    23  divided into [thirteen] fifteen  judicial  districts,  pursuant  to  the
    24  provisions  of  the  first section of the sixth article of the constitu-
    25  tion, which districts shall be arranged as follows:
    26    The first judicial district shall consist of the county of New York;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13372-02-5
        A. 8883                             2
 
     1    The second judicial district shall consist of the county of Kings;
     2    The third judicial district shall consist of the counties of Columbia,
     3  Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schoharie and Rensselaer;
     4    The  fourth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Warren,
     5  Saratoga, Washington, Essex, Franklin, Saint Lawrence, Clinton, Montgom-
     6  ery, Hamilton, Fulton and Schenectady;
     7    The fifth judicial district shall consist of the counties of  [Ononda-
     8  ga,]  Oneida, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson [and], Lewis, Cayuga, Ontario,
     9  Seneca, Wayne and Yates;
    10    The sixth judicial district shall consist of the counties  of  Otsego,
    11  Delaware,  Madison, Chenango, Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, Cortland
    12  and Schuyler;
    13    The seventh judicial district shall consist of the  [counties]  county
    14  of  [Livingston,  Wayne,  Seneca,  Yates, Ontario, Steuben,] Monroe [and
    15  Cayuga];
    16    The eighth judicial district shall consist of the [counties] county of
    17  Erie[, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Allegany  and
    18  Wyoming];
    19    The ninth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Westches-
    20  ter, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Rockland;
    21    The  tenth  judicial  district shall consist of the counties of Nassau
    22  and Suffolk.
    23    The eleventh judicial district shall consist of the county of  Queens.
    24  The  creation  of  such eleventh district shall not affect or impair the
    25  rights, privileges or compensation of any officer  or  employee  of  the
    26  supreme  court in office on the first day of September, nineteen hundred
    27  and sixty-two in the tenth judicial district as theretofore constituted;
    28  each such officer or employee employed in the county of Queens  on  such
    29  date  shall  thereafter be an officer or employee for the eleventh judi-
    30  cial district and each such officer or employee employed in the counties
    31  of Nassau and Suffolk on such date shall thereafter  be  an  officer  or
    32  employee for the tenth judicial district.
    33    The  twelfth  judicial  district shall consist of the county of Bronx.
    34  The creation of such twelfth district shall not  affect  or  impair  the
    35  rights,  privileges  or  compensation  of any officer or employee of the
    36  supreme court in office on the first day of  January,  nineteen  hundred
    37  eighty-three  in the first judicial district as theretofore constituted;
    38  each such officer or employee employed in the county of  Bronx  on  such
    39  date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the twelfth judicial
    40  district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of New
    41  York  on  such  date  shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
    42  first judicial district.
    43    The thirteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of  Rich-
    44  mond.  The  creation  of  such  thirteenth  district shall not affect or
    45  impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee
    46  of the supreme court in office on the first day of January, two thousand
    47  eight in the second judicial district as theretofore  constituted;  each
    48  such officer or employee employed in the county of Richmond on such date
    49  shall  thereafter  be an officer or employee for the thirteenth judicial
    50  district and each such officer or employee employed  in  the  county  of
    51  Kings  on  such  date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
    52  second judicial district.
    53    The fourteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of  Onon-
    54  daga.    The  creation  of  such fourteenth district shall not affect or
    55  impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee
    56  of the supreme court in office on the first day of January, two thousand
        A. 8883                             3

     1  twenty-six in the fifth judicial district  as  theretofore  constituted;
     2  each such officer or employee employed in the county of Onondaga on such
     3  date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the fourteenth judi-
     4  cial district and each such officer or employee employed in the counties
     5  of  Herkimer,  Jefferson,  Lewis,  Oneida, and Oswego on such date shall
     6  thereafter be an officer or employee for the fifth judicial district.
     7    The fifteenth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Alle-
     8  gany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee,  Livingston,  Niagara,  Orleans,
     9  Steuben,  and  Wyoming. The creation of such fifteenth judicial district
    10  shall not affect or impair the rights, privileges,  or  compensation  of
    11  any  officer or employee of the supreme court in office on the first day
    12  of January, two thousand twenty-six in the seventh and  eighth  judicial
    13  districts  as  theretofore  constituted;  each  such officer or employee
    14  employed in the counties of Cayuga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates on
    15  such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the fifth judi-
    16  cial district; each such officer or employee employed in the  county  of
    17  Monroe  on  such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
    18  seventh judicial district; each such officer or employee employed in the
    19  county of Erie on such date shall thereafter be an officer  or  employee
    20  for the eighth judicial district; each such officer or employee employed
    21  in  the  counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Living-
    22  ston, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, and  Wyoming  shall  thereafter  be  an
    23  officer or employee for the fifteenth judicial district.
    24    §  3. Section 140-a of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 749 of
    25  the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
    26    § 140-a. Number of supreme court justices in each  judicial  district.
    27  The  number  of  justices of the supreme court in each judicial district
    28  shall be as follows:
    29    1. First district, thirty-eight;
    30    2. Second district, fifty-three;
    31    3. Third district, seventeen;
    32    4. Fourth district, fourteen;
    33    5. Fifth district, [nineteen] fourteen;
    34    6. Sixth district, eleven;
    35    7. Seventh district, [twenty] thirteen;
    36    8. Eighth district, [twenty-eight] eighteen;
    37    9. Ninth district, thirty-four;
    38    10. Tenth district, fifty-one;
    39    11. Eleventh district, forty-four;
    40    12. Twelfth district, twenty-nine;
    41    13. Thirteenth district, nine.
    42    14. Fourteenth district, nine.
    43    15. Fifteenth district, thirteen.
    44    No person may serve in the office of  justice  of  the  supreme  court
    45  unless  [he or she] such person has been admitted to practice law in the
    46  state of New York for at least ten years as  of  the  date  [he  or  she
    47  commences] they commence the duties of office.
    48    § 4. The following named justices or their successors in office on the
    49  effective  date  of  this  act  shall for the remainder of the terms for
    50  which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
    51  and for the fifth judicial district as reconstituted  and  continued  by
    52  this act.
 
    53  Elena Cariola
    54  Jason Cook
    55  Scott DelConte
        A. 8883                             4
 
     1  Julie Denton
     2  Danielle Fogel
     3  Gregory Gilbert
     4  James McClusky
     5  Charles Merrell
     6  William Ramseier
     7  Peter Rayhill
     8  Mark Rose
     9  James Vazzana
    10  Jean Marie Westlake
 
    11    The  following  named  justices  or  their successors in office on the
    12  effective date of this act shall for the  remainder  of  the  terms  for
    13  which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
    14  and  for the seventh judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
    15  this act.
 
    16  Victoria Argento
    17  Vincent Dinolfo
    18  Gail Donofrio
    19  Daniel Doyle
    20  John Gallagher
    21  Stephen Lindley
    22  Kevin Nasca
    23  Alexander Renzi
    24  Stacey Romeo
    25  Charles Schiano
    26  Judith Sinclair
    27  Erin Skinner
    28  William Taylor
 
    29    The following named justices or their  successors  in  office  on  the
    30  effective  date  of  this  act  shall for the remainder of the terms for
    31  which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
    32  and for the eighth judicial district as reconstituted and  continued  by
    33  this act.
    34  Tracey Bannister
    35  John Curran
    36  Diane Devlin
    37  Paula Feroleto
    38  Daniel Furlong
    39  Deborah Haendiges
    40  Craig Hannah
    41  Lynn Keane
    42  John Licata
    43  Amy Martoche
    44  Mark Montour
    45  Henry Nowak
    46  Catherine Nugent
    47  E. Jeanette Ogden
    48  Frank Sedita
    49  Donna Siwek
    50  Mary Slisz
    51  Gerald Whalen
        A. 8883                             5
 
     1    The  following  named  justices  or  their successors in office on the
     2  effective date of this act shall for the  remainder  of  the  terms  for
     3  which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
     4  and  for  the fourteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
     5  this act.
 
     6  Robert Antonacci
     7  Donald  Greenwood
     8  Deborah Karalunas
     9  Kevin Kuehner
    10  Joseph Lamendola
    11  Rory McMahon
    12  James Murphy
    13  Gerard Neri
 
    14    The  following  named  justices  or  their successors in office on the
    15  effective date of this act shall for the  remainder  of  the  terms  for
    16  which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
    17  and  for  the  fifteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
    18  this act.
 
    19  Frank Caruso
    20  Deborah Chimes
    21  Emilio Colaiacovo
    22  Gerald Greenan III
    23  Grace Hanlon
    24  Joseph Lorigo
    25  Michael Norris
    26  Kelly Vacco
    27  Sam Valleriani
    28  Joseph Waldorf
    29  James Walsh
    30  Raymond Walter
    31  Paul Wojtaszek
 
    32    § 5. It is the intended object of this act to  erect,  in  the  fourth
    33  judicial  department,  the  fourteenth judicial district, comprising the
    34  county of Onondaga, and the fifteenth judicial district, comprising  the
    35  counties  of  Allegany,  Cattaraugus,  Chautauqua,  Genesee, Livingston,
    36  Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, and Wyoming, and to provide for the employees
    37  thereof selection, designation, nomination and election in  the  general
    38  election  to be held in November 2026 of justices of the fifth, seventh,
    39  eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth judicial districts consistent with the
    40  foregoing provisions of this act. Any other consistent provision of law,
    41  rule or regulation which by its terms or in its application aids in  the
    42  accomplishment  of such object shall be given full force and effect. Any
    43  provision which is inconsistent with the accomplishment of  such  object
    44  shall be denied force and effect to the extent that it may be applicable
    45  thereto.
    46    §  6.  If  any  provision  of  any section of this act is held void or
    47  unconstitutional, all other provisions and all other  sections  of  this
    48  act  which  are  not expressly held to be void or unconstitutional shall
    49  continue in full force and effect.
    50    § 7. This act shall take effect immediately except that the provisions
    51  of sections one, two, three, and four of  this  act  shall  take  effect
    52  January 1, 2027.