Governor Kathy Hochul. Image Credit: Office of Governor Kathy Hochul.
On July 17, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.9839/A.10540, which provides 16 additional Family and Civil Court judges to New York City, among other judges statewide. This legislation aims to address delays and backlogs throughout the family and civil court process and expedite proceedings.
The Civil Court handles general civil matters up to $50,000, commercial landlord-tenant cases, small claims and housing disputes. Governor Kathy Hochul stated, “this legislation gives our courts the tools to tackle the case backlog and carry out the fair and efficient justice system New Yorkers deserve.” The sponsors of this bill were State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Landon C. Dais.
The Family Court will receive four additional judges, making the new total of family court judges 67. The Civil Court will gain twelve additional judges from the following counties: three from New York County, three from the Bronx, three from Kings County, and three from Queens.
This act takes effective immediately and requires the new positions be filled by the November 5, 2024, election for the term commencing on January 1, 2025. The legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
Governor Hochul said, “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.”
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.”
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.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)