New York in Urgent Need of More Trial Court Judges

In September 2023, the New York City Bar Association (NYCBA) released a report pinpointing a major workforce deficit and a “dire need” for more trial court judges. Unfortunately, the state constitution limits the number of judges elected to its Supreme Courts. This means that the number of judges has remained static, and backlogs have swelled, even as New York’s population has grown in recent years.

The NYCBA report notes that having insufficient judicial seats has made the court system “complicated, overworked, and confusing,” with “justice to all” an elusive goal. With inadequate judicial resources across the court system, the most feasible way forward involves a constitutional amendment that would take away any cap on the number of judges.

There has been some incremental progress. Statutory changes have enabled the 11th Judicial District, which spans Queens County, to accommodate 43 elected Supreme Court justices (up from 39 in 2017). The key to eliminating case backlogs is to push this number even higher across more jurisdictions. This is particularly urgent because gaining a hearing as a potential New York judge can take six months or longer.