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S10334Senate2025-2026 Session

Add Bronx Surrogate Judge

Official title

“Relates to the number of surrogate's court judges in Bronx County”

Sponsor Luis R. SepúlvedaSD-32Affects Legal
Status
In Senate Committee
Judiciary
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
12%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Judiciary

What's happening

This bill increases the number of surrogate court judges in Bronx County from one to two.

Why it matters

  1. Directly impacts Bronx County residents. by increasing judicial capacity in the surrogate’s court, which handles wills, estates, and guardianships—potentially reducing wait times and case backlogs for families dealing with these sensitive legal matters.

  2. Represents a significant change. for the Bronx, aligning its surrogate’s court with those of New York and Kings counties, suggesting the state recognizes increased caseloads or population needs in the Bronx that require more judicial resources.

  3. May improve the efficiency and accessibility. of estate and guardianship proceedings for Bronx residents, especially benefiting attorneys, families, and vulnerable individuals who rely on timely court decisions for inheritance, guardianship, and related issues.

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Who cares

  • Bronx County Residents and Families

    People in the Bronx who need access to Surrogate's Court for matters such as wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions may benefit from increased judicial resources and potentially faster case processing.

  • Attorneys and Legal Professionals

    Lawyers who practice probate, estate, and family law in the Bronx will care about the addition of another judge, which could impact court scheduling, delays, and overall efficiency.

  • Judicial System Administrators

    Court administrators and staff responsible for managing caseloads and courtroom logistics in Bronx County will be directly affected by the change in staffing and resource allocation.

  • Current and Prospective Surrogate's Court Judges

    Existing and future judges in the Bronx Surrogate’s Court have a vested interest in how increased judicial presence may affect workload distribution, job opportunities, and professional responsibilities.

Headline styles

Add Bronx Surrogate Judge

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Luis R. Sepúlveda

Senator · Senate District 32

Chair, Judiciary

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to judiciary

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

10334

IN SENATE

May 14, 2026

Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary

AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the number of surrogate's court judges in Bronx County

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Section 179 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 240 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:

§ 179. Surrogates, New York county, Bronx county and Kings county. The surrogate's courts of New York county, Bronx county and Kings county shall each consist of two surrogates.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD14549-01-6

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the number of surro- gate's court judges in Bronx County

Purpose

To increase the number of surrogate's court judges in Bronx county.

Summary of provisions

Section 1. Amends Section 179 of the Judiciary law. Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.

Justification

This bill proposes adding Bronx County to the list of counties with two surrogate court judges to address significant delays in processing cases related to deceased individuals, wills, and estate management. With approximately 1.4 million residents, the Bronx sees around 180,000 court cases annually across various types, including surrogate matters. The aim is to equalize services in the Bronx with those in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as current bottlenecks are causing extended wait times for families regarding estate issues.

Legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

TBD.

Effective date

Immediately.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.