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NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Photo Caption New York State Unified Court System 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Report of the Chief Administrator of the Courts for the Calendar Year January 1 through December 31, 2020 Janet DiFiore Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York Lawrence K. Marks Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York Associate Judges of the New York State Unified Desmond A. Green Court of Appeals Court System Civil & Criminal Matters, Thirteenth Judicial District Jenny Rivera John W. McConnell Executive Director Jeanette Ruiz Leslie E. Stein New York City Family Court Nancy Barry Eugene M. Fahey Chief of Operations Tamiko Amaker Michael J. Garcia New York City Criminal Court Eileen D. Millett Rowan D. Wilson Counsel Anthony Cannataro New York City Civil Court Paul G. Feinman Hon. Sherry Klein Heitler Chief of Policy and Planning Administrative Judges Presiding Justices of the Hon. Juanita Bing Newton Outside New York City Appellate Division Dean, NYS Judicial Institute Gerald W. Connolly Rolando T. Acosta Third Judicial District First Department Administrative Judges Felix J. Catena Alan D. Scheinkman New York City Fourth Judicial District Second Department Deborah A. Kaplan James P. Murphy Elizabeth A. Garry Civil Matters, First Judicial District Fifth Judicial District Third Department Ellen N. Biben Eugene D. Faughnan Gerald J. Whalen Criminal Matters, First Judicial District Sixth Judicial District Fourth Department Lawrence Knipel Civil Matters, Second Judicial District Craig J. Doran Seventh Judicial District Deputy Chief Matthew D’Emic Administrative Judges Criminal Matters, Second Judicial District Paula L. Feroleto Eighth Judicial District Vito C. Caruso Marguerite A. Grays Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Civil Matters, Eleventh Judicial District Kathie E. Davidson Courts Outside New York City Ninth Judicial District Joseph Zayas George J. Silver Criminal Matters, Eleventh Judicial District Norman St. George Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Tenth Judicial District, Nassau County Doris Gonzalez the New York City Courts Civil Matters, Twelfth Judicial District Andrew A. Crecca Edwina G. Mendelson Tenth Judicial District, Suffolk County Julio Rodriguez Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters, Twelfth Judicial District Richard E. Sise Justice Initiatives Acting Presiding Judge, Court of Claims Contents A Message from the Problem-Solving Courts ............................ 41 Chief Administrative Judge ......................... 1 • Opioid Courts ....................................... 41 Covid-19 and the Courts ............................. 3 • Family Treatment Courts .......................... 41 • Human Trafficking Courts ......................... 41 The Excellence Initiative.............................15 • Domestic Violence and Integrated Domestic • Technology .......................................... 17 Violence Courts ..................................... 41 • e-Filing .............................................. 17 • Mental Health Courts .............................. 41 • Presumptive ADR ...................................18 • Drug Treatment Courts ............................ 41 • Court Simplification ................................19 • Veterans’ Treatment Courts ....................... 41 Equal Justice in the Courts ......................... 21 • Elder Abuse ......................................... 41 • Special Adviser on Equal Justice in the Courts .. 21 Specialty Courts ..................................... 42 • Justice Task Force ..................................22 • Commercial Division .............................. 42 • Office of Diversity and Inclusion ................. 23 • Indian Nation Courts .............................. 42 • Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission ...... 25 • Town And Village Courts .......................... 43 • NYS Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts .......................................... 26 Training ................................................. 44 • Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission ........... 28 • New York State Judicial Institute ................ 44 • Managing Inspector General for Bias Matters .. 28 • Judicial Campaign Ethics Center ................ 45 • Americans with Disabilities Act .................. 29 Safety and Security ..................................47 Access to Justice .....................................31 Access to Information ............................... 49 • Access to Counsel ................................. 32 • 800-Court-NY ..................................... 49 • Judiciary Civil Legal Services .................... 32 • eTrack ............................................... 49 • Permanent Commission on Access to Justice .. 32 Fiscal Overview ....................................... 50 • Business Council for Access to Justice......... 33 • Criminal History Search Revenues ............... 51 • Language Access ................................. 33 • Attorney Registration Revenues .................. 51 Commission to Reimagine Grants and Contracts ............................... 52 the Future of New York’s Courts ................. 35 Court Structure and Caseload Activity ......... 53 Criminal Justice Reform ............................ 36 • Appellate Courts .................................. 53 • Raise-the-Age (RTA) .............................. 36 • Trial Courts ......................................... 55 • Restorative Justice .................................37 Office of Court Administration ................... 65 Family and Society ................................... 38 • Child Fatality Advisory Council .................. 38 Measures Enacted into Law in 2020 ..............67 • Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children ............................... 38 • Children’s Centers ................................. 39 • Child Welfare Court Improvement Project ...... 39 • Child Welfare Permanency Mediation ........... 39 A MESSAGE FROM THE Chief Administrative Judge rom her first days in office, Chief Judge DiFiore has nurtured a rise-to-the-occasion ethos of excellence within the court system. That culture was put to the test in 2020 when FCOVID-19 made it utterly impossible to carry out business as usual and severely hindered the ability of all enterprises, large and small, public and private, to fulfill their goals and mission. In the Court System, we all had to think on our feet and adjust to a day-by-day, and sometimes hour-by-hour, shift in dynamics and protocols. Despite the enormous hurdles, we are immensely proud to report that the New York Courts remained open throughout the crisis. Although some operations were greatly limited and, at first, restricted to emergency and essential matters, the New York Courts never shut down. The halls of justice remained open to serve the people of this state. That is the Excellence Initiative, and the foundation on which it rests, in action. This annual report reflects the enormous efforts by the Third Branch of government to fulfill the critical needs of the citizenry in a time of unprecedented challenge. In a year such as 2020, just maintaining some semblance of the status quo would have been a remarkable achievement. But we did more than that, much more. We advanced the interests of justice in significant ways, while also confronting head-on the fact that the Court System, like all social institutions, has yet to fully achieve the goal of eradicating bias and discrimination. We submit this report with pride in what the Unified Court System has achieved, and everlasting gratitude to the extraordinary people who made those achievements possible. Sincerely, Lawrence K. Marks This 2020 edition of the Annual Report of the Chief Administrator of the Courts has been submitted to the Governor and Legislature in accordance with Section 212 of the Judiciary Law. 1 Prospective grand jurors maintain a safe distance while waiting to enter New York City Criminal Court, NY County. Covid-19 and the Courts he COVID-19 pandemic hammered New York State, affecting every aspect of life with an intensity that was unprecedented. By March 7th, when Governor Cuomo declared a state of Temergency, two things were clear: closing the courts was not an option, and the court system needed to make dramatic changes in the way it operated. New Yorkers rely on their courts for vital services, and the courts never stopped hearing emergency and essential matters or delivering justice services at any point in the pandemic. On March 11th, the court system responded to the first confirmed “The business of the COVID cases in our state by restricting courthouse entry by high- risk individuals. Shortly thereafter, court administrators suspended New York courts jury operations and high-volume civil parts, and directed that court must and will business be conducted by video and telephonic conference. On March 16th, the court system temporarily postponed all non-essential court continue during functions, and consolidated essential and emergency matters in a this national crisis limited number of courthouses. These steps were taken to reduce foot traffic and prevent further spread of the virus as it became clear that as we provide New York was then the epicenter of this pandemic. essential services By the following week, virtual court parts were opened in the high- volume New York City Criminal and Family Courts to hear essential and to the best of our th emergency matters, and by April 6 , all essential and emergency matters abilities, while