What's happening
This bill requires anyone asking for an order to show cause to explain why it is necessary.
Why it matters
Affects all New York courts and litigants using orders to show cause. , which are requests for urgent court intervention—a common tool in civil cases across the state, including New York City and upstate counties.
Requires lawyers and self-represented parties to justify the need for expedited court action. , potentially making it harder to bypass standard motion procedures and adding a layer of transparency to emergency legal requests.
May reduce unnecessary or strategic use of emergency orders. , ensuring court resources are used for genuinely urgent situations and possibly leading to fewer delays or surprise actions against other parties.
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Who cares
Litigants and Attorneys
Individuals and legal professionals involved in civil litigation who may need to seek an order to show cause will be directly affected, as they must now justify why expedited relief is necessary in their applications.
Judges and Court Staff
Judicial officers and court personnel who review and process orders to show cause will have clearer guidance regarding the necessity and appropriateness of expedited procedures.
State Agencies and Officers
State bodies or officers who are often respondents in civil cases may benefit from the added procedural clarity, which could reduce unnecessary or improperly expedited orders.
Attorney General’s Office
As recipients of service for orders to show cause involving state entities, the Attorney General’s office will have more information to assess the urgency and legitimacy of such applications.
Headline styles
Clarify Fast-Track Court Requests
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10375
IN SENATE
May 15, 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 civil practice law and rules, in relation to clarifying the need for expedited relief when seeking an order to show cause
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (d) of rule 2214 of the civil practice law and rules, as amended by chapter 752 of the laws of 1972, is amended to read as follows:
(d) Order to show cause. The court in a proper case may grant an order to show cause, to be served in lieu of a notice of motion, at a time and in a manner specified therein. The party seeking the order to show cause shall state in the application why such procedure is necessary. An order to show cause against a state body or officers must be served in addition to service upon the defendant or respondent state body or officers upon the attorney general by delivery to an assistant attorney general at an office of the attorney general in the county in which venue of the action is designated or if there is no office of the attorney general in such county, at the office of the attorney general nearest such county.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15883-01-6
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to clari- fying the need for expedited relief when seeking an order to show cause
Purpose
To require a party seeking an order to show cause to clarify the need for expedited relief.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Amends subdivision (d) of rule 2214 of the civil practice law and rules.
Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.
Justification
This bill requires a party seeking an order to show cause to clearly specify why that party is proceeding via an order to show cause, and not another less urgent method. Practitioners have voiced their concern that some parties have applied for an been granted orders to show cause when relief was not really needed with an order to show cause. Even though the current statute states that "a court may grant an order to show cause in a proper case" (emphasis added), modifying the statute to require a showing of why such procedure would be helpful for practition- ers.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.