What's happening
This bill proposes amending the state constitution to increase New York's judicial departments from four to five and adjusts their boundaries.
Why it matters
Creates a fifth judicial department. , potentially allowing for more localized administration of justice and helping to address caseload imbalances across the state.
Redraws department boundaries. , with the current Second Department split into "Second Department North" (now covering only the Ninth Judicial District) and "Second Department South" (covering the Second, Tenth, and Eleventh Judicial Districts), which could impact where appeals are heard and streamline regional judicial administration.
Increases the number of appellate justices. in the new departments, providing for seven justices each in both Second Department North and South, which may help reduce delays and improve access to appellate review.
Empowers the legislature to re-evaluate boundaries every ten years. , offering flexibility to adapt judicial regions to population changes, urban growth, or shifting legal needs over time.
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Add More Judicial Departments
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History
- Opinion referred to judiciary
- To attorney-general for opinion
- Referred to judiciary
- Opinion referred to judiciary
- To attorney-general for opinion
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2700
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 25, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing amendments to article 6 of the constitution, in relation to increasing the number of judicial departments
Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That subdivisions a and b of section 4 of article 6 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
a. The state shall be divided into [four] five judicial departments. The first department shall consist of the counties within the first judicial district of the state. The second department north shall consist of the counties within the [second,] ninth[, tenth and eleventh] judicial [districts] district of the state. The second department south shall consist of the counties within the second, tenth and eleventh judicial districts of the state. The third department shall consist of the counties within the third, fourth and sixth judicial districts of the state. The fourth department shall consist of the counties within the fifth, seventh and eighth judicial districts of the state. Each department shall be bounded by the lines of judicial districts. Once every ten years the legislature may alter the boundaries of the judicial departments, but without changing the number thereof.
b. The appellate divisions of the supreme court are continued, and shall consist of seven justices of the supreme court in each of the first and second departments north and south, and five justices in each of the other departments. In each appellate division, four justices shall constitute a quorum, and the concurrence of three shall be necessary to a decision. No more than five justices shall sit in any case.
§ 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That the foregoing amendment be referred to the first legislative session convening after the next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and in conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD89050-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.