Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

The 1986 Proposals
On July 6, 1985, a plan to restructure the New York courts
was announced by John R. Dunne, then Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, and Warren M. Anderson, then Senate
Majority Leader. 103 The major elements of this 1985 Senate plan
were as follows: (1) merger of the Court of Claims, County
Court, Surrogate’s Court, Family Court, District Courts, and New
York City Criminal and Civil Courts into a single Supreme Court;
(2) creation of a Surrogate’s Division of the Supreme Court for
counties with more than 200,000 people; and (3) creation of a
Fifth Judicial Department composed of the Ninth and Tenth
Judicial Districts. 104
Public hearings on the 1985 Senate plan were held in the
fall of 1985, and opposition to certain aspects of the plan was
voiced. In particular, the Association of the Justices of the
Supreme Court opposed the reform proposals. 105
On July 3, 1986 (the last day of the 1986 legislative
session), the Assembly and Senate approved a court
reorganization plan (the “Unified Court System Proposal”) that
closely followed the 1985 Senate plan. 106 Despite securing first
passage in 1986, however, the Unified Court System Proposal
never reached the voters of New York for ratification. It failed to
pass the Legislature again when, as required by the Constitution for
any amendment, it was resubmitted for a second vote in 1987. 107
The 1997 Proposals
The most significant restructuring initiative in recent
years was launched on March 19, 1997, when Chief Judge
Judith Kaye and Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman
103
See Press Release, State Senator John R. Dunne, Senate Court Reorganization
Plan Announced (July 8, 1985).
104
See id. at 1-2.
105
See Editorial, Puffed-Up Judges vs. Court Reform, N.Y. TIMES, Oct.
23, 1985, at A22.
106
See Summary of the Major Actions Taken by the New York Legislature
in 1986, N.Y. TIMES, July 10, 1986, at B4.
107
See Frank Lynn, Court Merger Seen as Dead in Legislature, N.Y.
TIMES, June 8, 1987, at B1.
A Court System for the Future, February 2007 55