New York state judicial leaders have a number of hurdles to overcome as they look to consolidate one of the largest and most complicated court systems in the nation.
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore proposed a plan that would simplify the nearly unified court system, taking it from 11 trial courts down to three levels—a supreme court, municipal court, and justice courts serving towns and villages.
New York is the only state in the country with 11 courts, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks said.
“There are too many courts. It’s just an archaic sort of cumbersome structure,” he said of the ...