Justice Prudenti
NYLJ/Rick Kopstein
An unspecified number of lower court judges who were designated acting Supreme Court justices will be returned to the lower court, losing the title and salary of the higher post as the Office of Court Administration embarks on an effort to weed out judges who are technically ineligible for or not needed in Supreme Court, said Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti (See Profile).
Prudenti said officials will strictly enforce a rule that allows only county-level or equivalent judges with two years of experience to serve as acting Supreme Court justices. Additionally, she said acting justices who are not "doing significant Supreme Court" work will be sent back to a lower court, typically County Court, Family Court or Surrogate's Court.
The new protocol does not affect appointed Court of Claims judges who serve as statutorily designated acting Supreme Court justices without any boost in salary, Prudenti said.
"This is an ongoing effort to really re-address our concerns during the difficult financial times that we are living in," Prudenti said in an interview. "We are strictly enforcing our two-year rule throughout the state, inside and outside the City of New York."
Cutting down on the number of acting Supreme Court justices would save money since those designated to the positions are entitled to the same salary as the Supreme Court judges, and their clerks are also paid at a higher rate.
There are 328 justices elected to Supreme Court. Currently there are 329 acting Supreme Court justices, including 148 inside the City of New York and 181 upstate and on Long Island but not including Court of Claims judges who preside in Supreme Court, according to First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks (See Profile).
About two-thirds of the approximately 80 Court of Claims judges serve as statutorily designated acting Supreme Court justices and will not be affected by the change, Marks said. Twenty-eight Court of Claims judges sit as acting Supreme Court judges in New York City, and 27 throughout the rest of the state.
Court of Claims judges and Supreme Court justices draw the same $160,000 annual salary.
Prudenti said she has directed the deputy chief administrative judges, Fern Fisher (See Profile) and Michael Coccoma (See Profile), to head a committee that will develop practices and protocols for the appointment of acting Supreme Court justices. The new policies, and recommendations on which positions should be eliminated, are expected by the end of the month.
"It is not automatic that you become an acting Supreme Court judge and if you are not doing a significant amount of Supreme Court work you shouldn't have that status," Prudenti said.
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Susan Tobey
Thank you Judge Prudenti..... Ending the the long time repeated abuse of administrative powers and the disregard for election laws and administative rules governing the "temporary" assignment of lower court judges to the Supreme Court is long overdue. The legislature's creation of more Supreme Court parts in accordance with constitutional requirements including those linked to population numbers in judicial districts may provide an alternative way of gaining Supreme Cout parts.
Another way to save money is to halt the judiciary's funding of civil legal services groups. The $40 million included in this year's budget for this practice is more than troubling. Such funding implicates violations our State constitution and the separation of powers doctrine. It also gives rise to numerous conflicts of interest that taint the judiciary's ability to remain impartial and independent in the discharge of its primary duty of ajdudicating cases,
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