NEW YORK (CN) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation Friday to increase the number of judges serving on certain courts across the state in an effort to alleviate a caseload backlog.
“The backlog in our justice system denies New Yorkers the opportunity to have their day in court in a timely manner,” Hochul said in a statement. “The new law moves us closer to the fair and efficient court system New Yorkers deserve.”
The bill passed the New York State Assembly unanimously in June before being sent to the governor.
“I’m thrilled that Governor Hochul signed our legislation to bring more judges to New York City and statewide, which will help alleviate the unjust backlogs and delays plaguing our justice system,” state Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “The bill adds much-needed family court judges, justices of the Supreme Court and New York City civil court judges, which will help address the quality of justices in those courts.”
The law, effective in January, adds justices to three of the state’s 12 Supreme Court districts and adds judges to the family court.
According to the legislation, a family court judge will be added to Albany, Chemung, Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, St. Lawrence, Suffolk and Westchester counties. The law also adds judges to the state’s criminal court system and civil court judges for New York and Bronx counties.
Hochul said the legislation will help New York address the backlog in cases across the state’s court system, in part because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted his PAUSE executive order which, among other provisions, paused the state’s court deadlines to limit person-to-person contact in courthouses.
“Any specific time limit for the commencement, filing, or service of any legal action, notice, motion, or other process or proceeding…is hereby tolled from the date of this executive order until April 19, 2020,” Cuomo wrote in his order.
Since 2020, New York courts have reduced the backlog. In March 2022, the state had over 2.1 million pending cases. That number has dropped to over 1.3 million pending cases statewide, according to data from the state’s Office of Court Administration.
“A justice system which cannot render resolutions and verdicts in a timely manner cannot be called just,” Assemblymember Alex Bores, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “This bill delivers much needed support to courts in New York City and across the state under strain. I applaud the governor for taking this positive step to address the troubling backlog of cases in New York state.”
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