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S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
8883
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
June 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RIVERA, PEOPLES-STOKES -- read once and referred
to the Committee on Ways and Means
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to judicial departments
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, FOUR-
TEENTH, AND FIFTEENTH judicial districts.
§ 2. Section 140 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 10 of the
laws of 1948, the opening paragraph and the second undesignated para-
graph as amended and the thirteenth undesignated paragraph as added by
chapter 690 of the laws of 2007, the first undesignated paragraph as
amended by chapter 1006 of the laws of 1981, the tenth undesignated
paragraph as amended and the eleventh undesignated paragraph as added by
chapter 692 of the laws of 1962, and the twelfth undesignated paragraph
as amended by chapter 38 of the laws of 1982, is amended and two new
undesignated paragraphs fourteen and fifteen are added to read as
follows:
§ 140. Division of state into judicial districts. The state is hereby
divided into [thirteen] FIFTEEN judicial districts, pursuant to the
provisions of the first section of the sixth article of the constitu-
tion, which districts shall be arranged as follows:
The first judicial district shall consist of the county of New York;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13372-02-5
A. 8883 2
The second judicial district shall consist of the county of Kings;
The third judicial district shall consist of the counties of Columbia,
Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schoharie and Rensselaer;
The fourth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Warren,
Saratoga, Washington, Essex, Franklin, Saint Lawrence, Clinton, Montgom-
ery, Hamilton, Fulton and Schenectady;
The fifth judicial district shall consist of the counties of [Ononda-
ga,] Oneida, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson [and], Lewis, CAYUGA, ONTARIO,
SENECA, WAYNE AND YATES;
The sixth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Otsego,
Delaware, Madison, Chenango, Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, Cortland
and Schuyler;
The seventh judicial district shall consist of the [counties] COUNTY
of [Livingston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben,] Monroe [and
Cayuga];
The eighth judicial district shall consist of the [counties] COUNTY of
Erie[, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Allegany and
Wyoming];
The ninth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Westches-
ter, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Rockland;
The tenth judicial district shall consist of the counties of Nassau
and Suffolk.
The eleventh judicial district shall consist of the county of Queens.
The creation of such eleventh district shall not affect or impair the
rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee of the
supreme court in office on the first day of September, nineteen hundred
and sixty-two in the tenth judicial district as theretofore constituted;
each such officer or employee employed in the county of Queens on such
date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the eleventh judi-
cial district and each such officer or employee employed in the counties
of Nassau and Suffolk on such date shall thereafter be an officer or
employee for the tenth judicial district.
The twelfth judicial district shall consist of the county of Bronx.
The creation of such twelfth district shall not affect or impair the
rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee of the
supreme court in office on the first day of January, nineteen hundred
eighty-three in the first judicial district as theretofore constituted;
each such officer or employee employed in the county of Bronx on such
date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the twelfth judicial
district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of New
York on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
first judicial district.
The thirteenth judicial district shall consist of the county of Rich-
mond. The creation of such thirteenth district shall not affect or
impair the rights, privileges or compensation of any officer or employee
of the supreme court in office on the first day of January, two thousand
eight in the second judicial district as theretofore constituted; each
such officer or employee employed in the county of Richmond on such date
shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the thirteenth judicial
district and each such officer or employee employed in the county of
Kings on such date shall thereafter be an officer or employee for the
second judicial district.
THE FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SHALL CONSIST OF THE COUNTY OF ONON-
DAGA. THE CREATION OF SUCH FOURTEENTH DISTRICT SHALL NOT AFFECT OR
IMPAIR THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES OR COMPENSATION OF ANY OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE
OF THE SUPREME COURT IN OFFICE ON THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND
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TWENTY-SIX IN THE FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT AS THERETOFORE CONSTITUTED;
EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED IN THE COUNTY OF ONONDAGA ON SUCH
DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE FOURTEENTH JUDI-
CIAL DISTRICT AND EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED IN THE COUNTIES
OF HERKIMER, JEFFERSON, LEWIS, ONEIDA, AND OSWEGO ON SUCH DATE SHALL
THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SHALL CONSIST OF THE COUNTIES OF ALLE-
GANY, CATTARAUGUS, CHAUTAUQUA, GENESEE, LIVINGSTON, NIAGARA, ORLEANS,
STEUBEN, AND WYOMING. THE CREATION OF SUCH FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
SHALL NOT AFFECT OR IMPAIR THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, OR COMPENSATION OF
ANY OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE OF THE SUPREME COURT IN OFFICE ON THE FIRST DAY
OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX IN THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH JUDICIAL
DISTRICTS AS THERETOFORE CONSTITUTED; EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE
EMPLOYED IN THE COUNTIES OF CAYUGA, ONTARIO, SENECA, WAYNE, AND YATES ON
SUCH DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE FIFTH JUDI-
CIAL DISTRICT; EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED IN THE COUNTY OF
MONROE ON SUCH DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE
SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT; EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED IN THE
COUNTY OF ERIE ON SUCH DATE SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE
FOR THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT; EACH SUCH OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYED
IN THE COUNTIES OF ALLEGANY, CATTARAUGUS, CHAUTAUQUA, GENESEE, LIVING-
STON, NIAGARA, ORLEANS, STEUBEN, AND WYOMING SHALL THEREAFTER BE AN
OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE FOR THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
§ 3. Section 140-a of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 749 of
the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
§ 140-a. Number of supreme court justices in each judicial district.
The number of justices of the supreme court in each judicial district
shall be as follows:
1. First district, thirty-eight;
2. Second district, fifty-three;
3. Third district, seventeen;
4. Fourth district, fourteen;
5. Fifth district, [nineteen] FOURTEEN;
6. Sixth district, eleven;
7. Seventh district, [twenty] THIRTEEN;
8. Eighth district, [twenty-eight] EIGHTEEN;
9. Ninth district, thirty-four;
10. Tenth district, fifty-one;
11. Eleventh district, forty-four;
12. Twelfth district, twenty-nine;
13. Thirteenth district, nine.
14. FOURTEENTH DISTRICT, NINE.
15. FIFTEENTH DISTRICT, THIRTEEN.
No person may serve in the office of justice of the supreme court
unless [he or she] SUCH PERSON has been admitted to practice law in the
state of New York for at least ten years as of the date [he or she
commences] THEY COMMENCE the duties of office.
§ 4. 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 fifth judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
this act.
Elena Cariola
Jason Cook
Scott DelConte
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Julie Denton
Danielle Fogel
Gregory Gilbert
James McClusky
Charles Merrell
William Ramseier
Peter Rayhill
Mark Rose
James Vazzana
Jean Marie Westlake
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.
Victoria Argento
Vincent Dinolfo
Gail Donofrio
Daniel Doyle
John Gallagher
Stephen Lindley
Kevin Nasca
Alexander Renzi
Stacey Romeo
Charles Schiano
Judith Sinclair
Erin Skinner
William Taylor
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 eighth judicial district as reconstituted and continued by
this act.
Tracey Bannister
John Curran
Diane Devlin
Paula Feroleto
Daniel Furlong
Deborah Haendiges
Craig Hannah
Lynn Keane
John Licata
Amy Martoche
Mark Montour
Henry Nowak
Catherine Nugent
E. Jeanette Ogden
Frank Sedita
Donna Siwek
Mary Slisz
Gerald Whalen
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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.
Robert Antonacci
Donald Greenwood
Deborah Karalunas
Kevin Kuehner
Joseph Lamendola
Rory McMahon
James Murphy
Gerard Neri
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 fifteenth judicial district as created and constituted by
this act.
Frank Caruso
Deborah Chimes
Emilio Colaiacovo
Gerald Greenan III
Grace Hanlon
Joseph Lorigo
Michael Norris
Kelly Vacco
Sam Valleriani
Joseph Waldorf
James Walsh
Raymond Walter
Paul Wojtaszek
§ 5. It is the intended object of this act to erect, in the fourth
judicial department, the fourteenth judicial district, comprising the
county of Onondaga, and the fifteenth judicial district, comprising the
counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Livingston,
Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, and Wyoming, 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 fifth, seventh,
eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth 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 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.
§ 6. If any provision of any section of this act is 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.
§ 7. This act shall take effect immediately except that the provisions
of sections one, two, three, and four of this act shall take effect
January 1, 2027.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.