Welcome to the web site of the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts. We hope that this web site will serve as a resource for persons and organizations interested in improving the quality of justice throughout New York State. In July 2006, Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye appointed the Special Commission to assess the need for structural and other operational reforms of the Judiciary.

Carey R. Dunne Chair, Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

In February 2007, after seven months of intensive study, the Commission published a 175-page report detailing its findings and recommendations for reform (PDF). Specifically, the Commission proposed a consolidation of the state’s eleven major trial courts into a streamlined, two-tier structure, and the creation of a Fifth Judicial Department to ease our state's appellate burden. The Commission concluded that these reforms would greatly improve the administration of justice and save litigants, the state, and the economy over $500 million per year. Chief Judge Kaye endorsed the Commission’s findings in her State of the Judiciary Address (PDF) and recently, Governor Spitzer proposed a constitutional amendment (proposal, press release) to restructure the state’s court system that includes nearly all of the elements proposed by the Commission.

While the Commission's review was focused on the state-paid court system, the Commission also concluded that the Town and Village Justice Courts – a system of nearly 1,300 local courts statewide that hear millions of cases ranging traffic infractions to serious criminal matters – raise unique and complex issues requiring further study. Questions have been publicly raised as to whether the Justice Courts are appropriately structured and funded, and local Justices adequately trained, to effectively protect litigant rights. Accordingly, the Commission proposed and the Chief Judge agreed that the Commission’s term be extended so that it can devote appropriate time and effort to studying this important topic. The Commission added several Justice Court judges to its ranks and has turned its full attention to this issue.

Over the summer and fall of 2007, the Commission conducted four public hearings and visited town and village courts throughout the state to gather information on the local justice system from a wide range of perspectives. We have approached our work with a fresh perspective, and will form our own conclusions independent of what has been written or said about this topic in the past. To this end, we have encouraged judges, law enforcement officials, prosecutors, public defenders, private practitioners, court administrators, state and county officials, town and village officials, bar associations, good government groups and all others with expertise or interest in the Justice Courts to take one or more of these opportunities to help the Commission develop a meaningful view of the Justice Court system. The Commission expects to issue its report on the Justice Courts in early 2008.

Please take the time to explore the resources provided on this web site and to consider ways to share your views on this important topic.