Overview

• New York’s Judiciary is primarily a state-funded system.  The limited jurisdiction town and village courts are supported by their own municipalities.  The town and village courts receive state support for training and equipment via the UCS budget.
• The appropriation for the New York courts was reduced from $2.65 billion in FY11 to $2.53 billion in FY12.  The FY12 budget includes $12,500,000 for civil legal services for the poor.
• To reduce spending, the New York courts have reduced hours of operation, imposed staff layoffs, delayed filling judicial vacancies and vacancies in the clerks’ offices and in judicial support positions, reduced use of retired judges, imposed travel restrictions.  In addition, they consolidated positions in the administrative offices, terminated contracts for mediation, reduced juror call-ins, reduced PRINT legal reference materials, and placed restrictions on equipment purchases.  These steps are creating delays in service I the clerks’ offices and reducing evening/weekend hours.
• The New York courts are beginning to implement e-filing.

Reports and Articles

• Sam Favate. "Shrinking State Court Budgets: Not Just a New York Thing." The Wall Street Journal. January 26, 2012
• Diana Filkins.  "New York’s Court Crisis."  Albany Government Law Review. September 18, 2011.
• Jennifer Golson.  "Budget Cuts Have 'Widespread' Impact on NY State Courts-Report."  Thomson Reuters. August 16, 2011.
• Joseph Goldstein."After Budget Cuts, Defendants’ Wait to See a Judge Often Exceeds 24 Hours"  The New York Times. July 19, 2011.
• Editorial."Listen to Judge Lippman."  New York Times. March 13, 2011.
• William Glaberson."Defending Courts’ Budget, Top Judge Resists Cuomo."  New York Times. February 15, 2011.
• Victor Whitman."Sullivan Considers Cutting Legal Aid Attorneys' Budget."  Times Herald-Record. January 13, 2011.
• "Matter of Maron v Silver, Larabee v Governor, Chief Judge of the State of New York v Governor."  Opinion. February 23, 2010.
• "Public Statement of Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman."  February 23, 2010.

Gavel to Gavel

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