NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7676

Senate Bill S7676

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows for justices to reside in any town, village or city within the same assembly district as the court such justice serves and establishes educational requirements for certain town and village justices

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 29, 2025	referred to judiciary

2025-S7676 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A964
Current Committee:: Senate Judiciary
Law Section:: Uniform Justice Court Act
Laws Affected:: Add §§106-c & 105-a, UJCA; amd §3, Pub Off L; amd §2104, UCCA
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: A9066
2023-2024: A1146

2025-S7676 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows for justices to reside in any town, village or city contained in whole or in part within the same assembly district as the court such justice serves or in an assembly district contiguous to such municipality where the court is located; authorizes towns and villages to require that any person who serves as a town or village justice be admitted to practice law in the state.

2025-S7676 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7676

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the uniform justice court act, the public officers law
and the uniform city court act, in relation to allowing for justices to
reside in any town, village or city within the same assembly district as
the court such justice serves and establishing minimum educational
requirements for certain town and village justices

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill allows a justice of a local justice court, also known as town,
village, or city court, to live within the same assembly district as the
court on which they serve; and allows' for towns or villages to vote to
require town or village justices be admitted to practice law in New York
State.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds section 106-c to the Uniform Justice Act which allows a

justice of a town, village, or city court to reside in any town,
village, or city contained in whole or in part within the same assembly
district as the court on which the justice serves.

Section 2 adds section 105-a to the Uniform Justice Act to allow for
towns or villages to elect, by a majority vote of the governing body of
such town or village, to require town or village justices be admitted to
practice law in New York State.

Section 3 adds subdivision 10-a to section 3 of the Public Officers Law
to provide concurring language within public officers law.

Section 4 adds subdivision (g) to section 2104 of the Uniform City Court
Act to make concurring changes to the City court system.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Study after study has demonstrated that judges of justice courts, also
known as town, village, and city courts, account for the overwhelming
majority of judicial misconduct cases and routinely result in New York-
ers being denied their fundamental due process rights. Data indicates
that this is exacerbated in rural areas, where these judges are often
not attorneys. Expanding eligibility to those residing in the same New
York State Assembly District would allow for the expansion of the pool
of qualified justice courts. Unlike other jurisdictions, New York State
Assembly Districts must be made up of like communities under state law.

Most importantly, the judge will still be voted on only by the residents
of the city, town, or village where the court is located.  Town and
village court justices make up the majority of all judges in New York
State. In 2019, Monroe County's Democrat & Chronicle reported that "town
and village justices comprise less than two-thirds of the roughly 3,400
judges in New York, yet account for 70 percent of the discipline cases
brought by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Of those cases, 80%
of the disciplined judges are non-lawyers, according to the Commission.


This bill will help ensure that New Yorkers facing difficult times and
who are now in front of our court system will have access to the fair
administration of justice, and those voting for town, village, and city
courts will have access to the most qualified judges available.

 
PRIOR HISTORY:

2024: Similar Bill (A.1146/Lunsford) Died in Judiciary

2023: Similar Bill (A.1146/Lunsford) Died in Judiciary

2022: Similar Bill (A.9066/Lunsford) Died in Judiciary

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

2025-S7676 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7676
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 29, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
 
 AN ACT to amend the uniform justice court act, the public  officers  law
   and  the  uniform city court act, in relation to allowing for justices
   to reside in any town,  village  or  city  within  the  same  assembly
   district  as  the  court  such justice serves and establishing minimum
   educational requirements for certain town and village justices
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  uniform justice court act is amended by adding a new
 section 106-c to read as follows:
 § 106-C. RESIDENCY OF JUSTICES.
   NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER  PROVISION  OF  LAW  TO  THE  CONTRARY,  ANY
 JUSTICE  SERVING  A  TERM OF OFFICE IN A TOWN, VILLAGE OR CITY COURT MAY
 RESIDE IN ANY TOWN, VILLAGE OR CITY CONTAINED IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHIN
 THE SAME ASSEMBLY DISTRICT AS THE COURT SUCH JUSTICE SERVES.
   § 2.  The uniform justice court act is amended by adding a new section
 105-a to read as follows:
 § 105-A. MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF CERTAIN  TOWN  AND  VILLAGE
           JUSTICES.
   NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, ANY TOWN
 OR VILLAGE, MAY BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF SUCH TOWN OR
 VILLAGE, REQUIRE THAT ANY PERSON WHO SERVES AS A TOWN OR VILLAGE JUSTICE
 BE ADMITTED TO PRACTICE LAW IN THE STATE. ANY CHANGE IN THE REQUIREMENTS
 FOR ELIGIBILITY TO SERVE AS TOWN OR VILLAGE JUSTICE  SHALL  TAKE  EFFECT
 UPON  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  NEXT  JUDICIAL TERM OF OFFICE FOLLOWING THE
 ELECTION AFTER ENACTMENT OF THE LOCAL LAW.
   § 3. Section 3 of the public officers law is amended by adding  a  new
 subdivision 10-a to read as follows:
    10-A.  NEITHER  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS SECTION NOR OF ANY GENERAL,
 SPECIAL OR LOCAL LAW, CHARTER,  CODE,  ORDINANCE,  RESOLUTION,  RULE  OR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01318-03-5

 S. 7676                             2
 
 REGULATION,  REQUIRING A PERSON TO BE A RESIDENT OF THE POLITICAL SUBDI-
 VISION OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF THE STATE FOR  WHICH  THEY  SHALL  BE
 CHOSEN OR WITHIN WHICH THEIR OFFICIAL FUNCTIONS ARE REQUIRED TO BE EXER-
 CISED,  SHALL  APPLY TO THE APPOINTMENT OF JUSTICES OF A TOWN OR VILLAGE
 COURT WHO RESIDES IN AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT  CONTIGUOUS  TO  SUCH  MUNICI-
 PALITY.
   § 4. Section 2104 of the uniform city court act is amended by adding a
 new subdivision (g) to read as follows:
   (G) NEITHER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION NOR OF ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL
 OR  LOCAL LAW, CHARTER, CODE, ORDINANCE, RESOLUTION, RULE OR REGULATION,
 REQUIRING A PERSON TO BE A RESIDENT  OF  THE  POLITICAL  SUBDIVISION  OR
 MUNICIPAL  CORPORATION  OF  THE  STATE FOR WHICH THEY SHALL BE CHOSEN OR
 WITHIN WHICH THEIR OFFICIAL FUNCTIONS  ARE  REQUIRED  TO  BE  EXERCISED,
 SHALL  APPLY  TO  THE APPOINTMENT OF JUSTICES OF A CITY COURT OUTSIDE OF
 THE CITY OF NEW YORK WHO RESIDES IN AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT  CONTIGUOUS  TO
 SUCH MUNICIPALITY.
   §  5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

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