Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
On July 17, 2006, New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye appointed the <strong>Special</strong>
<strong>Commission</strong> 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 <strong>Commission</strong>
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 <strong>Commission</strong> conducted an intensive study of the
New York State court system. As part of this effort, the <strong>Commission</strong> 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 <strong>Commission</strong> 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 <strong>Commission</strong> 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 <strong>Commission</strong> wishes to thank Chief Judge Kaye and Chief Administrative Judge
Jonathan Lippman for the opportunity to participate in this important project. The <strong>Commission</strong>
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 <strong>Commission</strong> also extends its gratitude to
<strong>Commission</strong> member Abraham M. Lackman, President of the <strong>Commission</strong> 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