Judicial Administration, Council on
The Council on Judicial Administration (CJA) coordinates the work of several of the City Bar’s court committees on issues that impact state and federal courts. CJA includes as committee designated members representatives from the Judiciary Committee, the State Courts of Superior Jurisdiction Committee, the Federal Courts Committee, the Civil Courts Committee, the Criminal Courts Committee, and the Litigation Committee, in addition to other experienced court practitioners, administrators and judges.
Recent topics addressed by CJA include reports on the Judiciary Budget and the impact of the mandated budget cuts; the proposed terms for Housing Court Judges; proposals to amend the Code of Judicial Conduct and procedures before the Commission on Judicial Conduct; procedures regarding limitations on campaign contributions to judges; and the judicial salary increases to be established by the New York State Judicial Compensation Commission.
In May 2023, CJA agreed to partner with the City Bar City Bar Task Force on Digital Technologies to establish a Working Group on Judicial Administration and Artificial Intelligence (JAAI) to address current and potential issues related to the use of artificial intelligence within the New York State judiciary and judicial process. JAAI plans to draft and issue a report with recommendations for the New York State judiciary. JAAI is Co-Chaired by CJA Member and Judicial Law Clerk Harut Minasian and Task Force Co-Chair, City Bar Compliance Committee Member and Partner at Jerome Walker PLLC Jerome Walker. Other members of JAAI include CJA Member and New York City Criminal Court Judge Abena Darkeh; CJA Member, City Bar Federal Courts Committee Chair and Morrison Cohen Partner Richard Hong; Task Force Member and Skadden Arps Partner Stuart Levi; CJA Member and Scarola Zubatov Schaffzin Partner Rick Scarola; CJA Member and Retired Chief Clerk of New York Supreme Court, New York County Civil Branch John F. Werner; and Task Force Member and Baker McKenzie Partner David Zaslowsky.
In response to the Equal Justice in State Courts report issued by former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in October 2020, CJA established a Working Group on Racial Equity in New York State Courts. Read more about the Working Group and view its membership.
