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.

Statutes affected:
S3959: 70 judiciary law