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A 11550

Relates to judicial districts

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Harry Bronson and 5 co-sponsors

The bill reorganizes New York’s judicial districts by creating three new districts (14–16), expanding to 16 total, and reallocating counties and justices accordingly.

SUBSTITUTED BY S10626
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Bill Summary · A 11550

Summary of A11550 (2025-2026) – Relates to judicial districts (New York)

Purpose and intent

  • This bill proposes a reorganization of New York’s judicial structure, specifically creating three additional judicial districts within the Fourth Judicial Department and redefining the overall distribution of judicial districts state-wide. The changes are designed to alter which counties fall into which judicial districts and to adjust the number of supreme court justices allocated to certain districts.

Key provisions and changes

  • Judicial departments (Section 70):

    • Keeps the state divided into four judicial departments.
    • Adds three new districts (fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen) to the Fourth Department.
    • Reassigns and outlines the counties included in each of the four departments, reflecting the new district structure.

  • Division of the state into judicial districts (Section 140):

    • Expands the state’s judicial districts from 13 to 16.
    • New and updated district compositions:
    • First through Thirteenth Districts (existing structure) are adjusted to accommodate the new configuration.
    • Fourth Judicial District: now includes Warren, Saratoga, Washington, Essex, Franklin, Saint Lawrence, Clinton, Montgomery, Hamilton, Fulton, Schenectady.
    • Fifth Judicial District: now includes Oneida, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis (note: Onondaga is moved to the Fourteenth District).
    • Sixth through Twelfth Districts: adjusted as per the new mapping to align with the added districts and to reflect changes in county assignments.
    • Fourteenth Judicial District: newly created, consists of Onondaga.
    • Fifteenth Judicial District: newly created, consists of Monroe.
    • Sixteenth Judicial District: newly created, consists of Erie.
    • The bill provides that certain existing rights and compensations of officers and employees are preserved when districts are created or moved (e.g., Queens, Bronx, Richmond transitions are described to protect incumbents in their district change).

  • Number of Supreme Court justices by district (Section 140-a):

    • Replaces previous counts with new totals for the 16 districts.
    • Example allocations shown in the text (illustrative): First district 38 justices, Second 53, Third 17, Fourth 14, Fifth 9, Sixth 11, Seventh 27, Eighth 9, Ninth 34, Tenth 51, Eleventh 44, Twelfth 29, Thirteenth 9, Fourteenth 9, Fifteenth 14, Sixteenth 19.
    • Requires that any person serving as a justice in the reorganized districts meets the standard of having been admitted to practice law in New York for at least 10 years.

  • Continuation of incumbents (Section 4):

    • Specifies which current justices or their successors will serve in the newly reconstituted districts (Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth) for the remainder of their terms, aligning them with the new district structure.

  • Implementation and effective date (Section 7):

    • Immediate effect for most provisions, but Sections 1–4 (the structural changes) take effect on January 1, 2028.
    • This provides time for administrative adjustments, including elections in November 2027 for vacancies to align with the new districts, as applicable.

Affected parties and impact

  • Judicial system administration: The primary impact is on how counties are grouped into judicial districts and how many Supreme Court justices sit in each district, influencing case assignment, court administration, and caseload management.
  • Incumbent justices and staff: Provisions preserve certain rights and transition rules for officers and employees, with explicit mappings of incumbents to new districts.
  • Electorate and voters: Elections in 2027 would involve vacancies or terms aligned with the newly created districts, subject to constitutional and statutory rules.
  • Counties involved: Notable changes include moving Onondaga to the Fourteenth District, Monroe to the Fifteenth, and Erie to the Sixteenth, with corresponding realignments in surrounding districts.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • The bill was introduced by the Rules Committee and referred to Ways and Means.
  • Immediate enactment for several sections, with a delayed effective date of January 1, 2028 for Sections 1–4 to allow for reorganization and transition.
  • The bill includes transitional clauses to protect existing rights and ensure continuity of employment and compensation for affected judiciary personnel.

If you’d like, I can provide a county-by-county mapping of current to proposed district assignments or a side-by-side comparison of the current 13-district framework versus the proposed 16-district framework.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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