Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts
Share Embed Flag
Download ePaper

Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

nycourts.gov
from nycourts.gov More from this publisher
30.04.2014 Views

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................ 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................ 7 SECTION ONE: THE CURRENT STRUCTURE: AN ORGANIZATIONAL MORASS.............................................................................................. 15 SECTION TWO: THE HUMAN COST OF OUR ARCHAIC SYSTEM: REAL PEOPLE, REAL PROBLEMS ........................................................................................... 35 SECTION THREE: THE FINANCIAL COST OF OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE: HALF A BILLION DOLLARS WASTED EACH YEAR..................................................................... 45 SECTION FOUR: PAST PROPOSALS, AND THE MANY CALLS FOR REFORM............................... 49 SECTION FIVE: RECENT ADMINISTRATIVE INITIATIVES ......................................................... 61 SECTION SIX: OUR PROPOSAL FOR REFORM ......................................................................... 67 SECTION SEVEN: OUR RESPONSES TO PAST CONCERNS ....................................................... 89 SECTION EIGHT: THE NECESSARY STEPS TOWARD CHANGE.................................................. 99 APPENDIX i: SELECTED CHARTS ............................................................................................. 103 APPENDIX ii: THE FINANCIAL COST OF OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 111 APPENDIX iii: STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT................................................................................. 127 APPENDIX iv: LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS ................................. 147 APPENDIX v: A DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT............................................................ 151 A Court System for the Future, February 2007

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On July 17, 2006, New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye appointed the ong>Specialong> ong>Commissionong> on the Future of the New York State Courts to assess the effectiveness of the state’s current court structure and to propose appropriate reforms. The thirty member ong>Commissionong> was comprised of judges and court administrators; academics; representatives from the business community, bar organizations and good government groups; and some of our state’s leading legal practitioners. During the ensuing seven months, the ong>Commissionong> conducted an intensive study of the New York State court system. As part of this effort, the ong>Commissionong> and its staff reviewed the voluminous body of literature that exists on the subject of court structure and past reform efforts, and compiled various statistics and other data to assess the functioning of our court system. The ong>Commissionong> also met with dozens of judges, government officials, leaders of the business community, bar groups, Family Court practitioners, victims of domestic violence, court administrators, and a variety of others with experience in our courts. The ong>Commissionong> met, not only with those who have been supportive of court restructuring, but also with those who have in the past opposed such reforms. The ong>Commissionong> wishes to thank Chief Judge Kaye and Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman for the opportunity to participate in this important project. The ong>Commissionong> also wishes to thank representatives of the Office of Court Administration, and in particular its Chief of Operations Ronald P. Younkins, First Deputy and Legislative Counsel Marc C. Bloustein, and Legislative Counsel David Evan Markus for their patience in answering our many questions and requests for data. The ong>Commissionong> also extends its gratitude to ong>Commissionong> member Abraham M. Lackman, President of the ong>Commissionong> on Independent Colleges and Universities, and the former Secretary of the New York State Senate Finance Committee, for spearheading the fiscal analysis that appears in this Report. Representatives of many agencies and organizations provided invaluable assistance to this project. They include: Michael Colodner, Lauren DeSole, Antonio E. Galvao, Grace Hardy, Michael J. Magnani, Lawrence Marks, Gail Miller, Chester H. Mount, Jr., and Jane Craig Sebok of the Office of Court Administration; Liberty Aldrich, Greg Berman, Robin Berg, Sarah Bradley, Amy Muslim, Michael Rempel, and Christopher Watler of the Center for Court Innovation; Scott Sigal and Michele Sviridoff of the New York City Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator; Jennifer Magida of the Urban Justice Center; Caroline Kearney of Legal Services for New York City; Susan Lob of Voices of Women Organizing Project; and Catherine J. Douglass of inMotion, Inc. In addition, we are extremely indebted to the many judges and attorneys who spent time with us sharing their experiences and views on a wide variety of issues. A Court System for the Future, February 2007 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................ 1<br />

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................ 7<br />

SECTION ONE: THE CURRENT STRUCTURE:<br />

AN ORGANIZATIONAL MORASS.............................................................................................. 15<br />

SECTION TWO: THE HUMAN COST OF OUR ARCHAIC SYSTEM:<br />

REAL PEOPLE, REAL PROBLEMS ........................................................................................... 35<br />

SECTION THREE: THE FINANCIAL COST OF OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE:<br />

HALF A BILLION DOLLARS WASTED EACH YEAR..................................................................... 45<br />

SECTION FOUR: PAST PROPOSALS, AND THE MANY CALLS FOR REFORM............................... 49<br />

SECTION FIVE: RECENT ADMINISTRATIVE INITIATIVES ......................................................... 61<br />

SECTION SIX: OUR PROPOSAL FOR REFORM ......................................................................... 67<br />

SECTION SEVEN: OUR RESPONSES TO PAST CONCERNS ....................................................... 89<br />

SECTION EIGHT: THE NECESSARY STEPS TOWARD CHANGE.................................................. 99<br />

APPENDIX i: SELECTED CHARTS ............................................................................................. 103<br />

APPENDIX ii: THE FINANCIAL COST OF OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE:<br />

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 111<br />

APPENDIX iii: STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT................................................................................. 127<br />

APPENDIX iv: LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS ................................. 147<br />

APPENDIX v: A DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT............................................................ 151<br />

A Court System for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Future</strong>, February 2007

logo

products

Resources

Company

Terms of service
Privacy policy
Cookie policy
Cookie settings
Imprint
Change language
Made with love in Switzerland
© 2024 Yumpu.com all rights reserved

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!