NY State Senate Bill 2025-S3959

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 31, 2025	referred to judiciary

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Judiciary
Law Section:: Judiciary Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§70, 140 & 140-a, Judy L

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates the fourteenth judicial district consisting of the county of Monroe; provides for continuation of the seventh judicial district and the positions of certain seventh and fourteenth judicial district justices; makes related provisions.

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3959

SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the creation of the
fourteenth judicial district consisting of the county of Monroe

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would create a new judicial district made up of the county of
Monroe.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends section 70 of the judiciary law to add a reference to
the fourteenth judicial district.

Section 2: Amends section 140 by changing references to the thirteen
judicial districts to fourteen and adds a new paragraph outlining that
the fourteenth judicial district consists of the county of Monroe. It
also outlines that officers and employees of the supreme court in the

previous seventh district will maintain their employment and privileges.
Further, judicial officers and employees in the county of Monroe will be
members of the fourteenth judicial district and those of the counties of
Livingston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben and Cayuga

Section 3: Amends subdivisions 7 and 13 of section 140a of the judiciary
law, to update to Section 4: Instructs the county of Monroe shall estab-
lish, maintain and expand its court library

Section 5: Outlines which supreme court judges shall continue serving in
the seventh district and which shall be assigned to the fourteenth
district.

Section 6: Outlines the procedure for designation, nomination, and
election of justices in the eighth and fourteenth electoral districts.

Section 7: Severability clause Section 8: effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Nominations for State Supreme Court justices are determined at Judicial
Conventions. Delegates to these conventions are elected in a process
which reflects the population of each county that comprises a judicial
district. Thus, counties with larger populations receive more delegates
and in turn, more power to determine who is nominated to the judgeship.

As a result, counties with lower populations inevitably receive less
representation in the supreme court.  This problem is illustrated acute-
ly in the existing seventh judicial district. Monroe county has a popu-
lation that is greater than all the other counties incorporated into the
current seventh district.

As a result, Monroe County has an outsized influence on judicial
conventions. In addition, the current seventh district requires many
people who live in Monroe County to have their cases heard in one of the
other counties and vice versa. This can create logistical difficulties

for individuals who find themselves having to travel long distances to
attend their court date.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately provided that sections one
through five of this act shall take effect January 1, 2027.

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3959
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 31, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COONEY -- 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  creation  of  the
   fourteenth judicial district consisting of the county of Monroe
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 70 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter  690
 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
   §  70.  Judicial  departments.  The  state is hereby divided into four
 judicial departments. The first department shall consist of the counties
 embraced within the first and twelfth  judicial  districts;  the  second
 department  shall  consist  of  the counties embraced within the second,
 ninth, tenth, eleventh and  thirteenth  judicial  districts;  the  third
 department  shall  consist  of  the  counties embraced within the third,
 fourth and sixth judicial districts; the fourth department shall consist
 of the counties embraced within the fifth,  seventh  [and],  eighth  AND
 FOURTEENTH judicial districts.
   §  2.  The opening paragraph and the seventh undesignated paragraph of
 section 140 of the judiciary law, the opening paragraph  as  amended  by
 chapter  690  of the laws of 2007 and the seventh undesignated paragraph
 as amended by chapter 10 of the laws of 1948,  are  amended  and  a  new
 fourteenth undesignated paragraph is added to read as follows:
   The   state  is  hereby  divided  into  [thirteen]  FOURTEEN  judicial
 districts, pursuant to the provisions of the first section of the  sixth
 article  of  the  constitution,  which  districts  shall  be arranged as
 follows:
   The seventh judicial district shall consist of the counties of Living-
 ston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben[, Monroe] and Cayuga;
   THE FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL  DISTRICT  SHALL  CONSIST  OF  THE  COUNTY  OF
 MONROE.    THE  CREATION  OF SUCH FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SHALL NOT
 AFFECT OR IMPAIR THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES OR COMPENSATION OF  ANY  OFFICER
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05444-01-5

 S. 3959                             2
 
 OR  EMPLOYEE OF THE SUPREME COURT IN OFFICE ON THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY,
 TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX IN THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT AS  THERETOFORE
 CONSTITUTED;  EACH  SUCH  OFFICER  OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED IN THE COUNTY OF
 MONROE  ON  SUCH DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE
 FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT AND EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE  EMPLOYED
 IN  THE  COUNTIES  OF LIVINGSTON, WAYNE, SENECA, YATES, ONTARIO, STEUBEN
 AND CAYUGA ON SUCH DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR  EMPLOYEE  FOR
 THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
   §  3.  Subdivisions  7 and 13 of section 140-a of the judicial law, as
 amended by chapter 749 of the laws of 2023, are amended and a new subdi-
 vision 14 is added to read as follows:
   7. Seventh district, [twenty] SIX;
   13. Thirteenth district, nine[.]; AND
   14. FOURTEENTH DISTRICT, FOURTEEN.
   § 4. The county of Monroe shall establish,  maintain  and  expand,  if
 necessary, its court library, as established in accordance with sections
 813  and 814 of the judiciary law, to accommodate the needs of the four-
 teenth judicial district.
   § 5. The following named justices or their successors in office on the
 effective date of this act shall for the  remainder  of  the  terms  for
 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
 and  for the seventh judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
 this act.
   Elena F. Cariola
   Jason Cook
   Craig J. Doran
   William K. Taylor
   James A. Vazzana
   Joseph D. Waldorf
   The following named justices or their  successors  in  office  on  the
 effective  date  of  this  act  shall for the remainder of the terms for
 which they were elected or appointed be justices of the supreme court in
 and for the fourteenth judicial district as created and  constituted  by
 this act.
   Victoria M. Argento
   Vincent M. Dinolfo
   Gail A. Donofrio
   Daniel J. Doyle
   John B. Gallagher, Jr.
   Steven K. Lindley
   Kevin M. Nasca
   Alex R. Renzi
   Stacey M. Romeo
   Judith A. Sinclair
   Charles A. Schiano, Jr.
   Erin Skinner
   Sam L. Valleriani
   James W. Walsh
   §  6.  It  is  the intended object of this act to erect, in the fourth
 judicial department, the fourteenth judicial district, comprised of  the
 county  of  Monroe  and  to provide for the employees thereof selection,
 designation, nomination and election in the general election to be  held
 in  November,  2026  of  justices of the seventh and fourteenth judicial
 districts consistent with the foregoing  provisions  of  this  act.  Any
 other consistent provision of law, rule or regulation which by its terms
 or in its application aids in the accomplishment of such object shall be
 S. 3959                             3
 
 given  full  force  and effect. Any provision which is inconsistent with
 the accomplishment of such object shall be denied force  and  effect  to
 the extent that it may be applicable thereto.
   §  7.  If any provisions of any section of this act shall be held void
 or unconstitutional, all other provisions and all other sections of this
 act which are not expressly held to be void  or  unconstitutional  shall
 continue in full force and effect.
   §  8.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 sections one through five of this act shall take effect January 1, 2027.

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Senate Bill S3959

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S3959

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Sponsored By

Jeremy Cooney

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3959 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments