OTHER RELATED RESOURCES

A Guide to Judicial Elections in New York City

REPORT

Click here to access the pdf version of the guide

NYC Judicial Elections – A Basic Guide

What Is This Guide About?

In New York City, people get to vote for some of the judges who work in the courts. These judges work in the Supreme Court, Civil Court, and Surrogate’s Court. This guide explains how these elections work, how to learn about the people running for judge, and what the different courts do.

How Can I Learn About the People Running for Judge?

You can visit the New York City Board of Elections website at vote.nyc to find out who is running in your neighborhood. Here’s how:

• Type in your address on their poll site locator: findmypollsite.vote.nyc
• Click “View Sample Ballot” to see who’s on your ballot.

Some candidates have websites or are mentioned in news stories. Sometimes local groups host meetings where you can hear the candidates speak. You might also get flyers or emails from the candidates during election season.

Note: Judges aren’t allowed to talk about how they might decide future cases. Instead, they usually share information about their background and experience.

What Judges Do We Vote For?

In New York City, people vote for judges in these courts:

1. Supreme Court (of New York State)

• This is not the highest court in New York—that’s the Court of Appeals, which has the final say in interpreting New York law and is appointed by the Governor through a selection process.
• The Supreme Court is the basic trial court, handling criminal cases, divorces, foreclosures and other matters. Supreme Court judges are called justices.
• Justices are elected by Judicial District, with each borough in New York City being its own judicial district. but first, each political party chooses nominees through something called a judicial convention.
• Justices serve for 14 years.

2. Civil Court

• This court handles small money cases (up to $50,000), some disputes over property, and tenant issues.
• Some judges are elected by the whole borough, and some are elected by smaller districts.
• Judges serve for 10 years.
• Sometimes, these judges are assigned by judges who administer the court system to hear cases in the Supreme Court.  They may also sit in Family Court or Criminal Court.

3. Surrogate’s Court

• This court deals with wills and estates (when someone passes away).
• Judges are called Surrogates. There is one Surrogate in The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, and two Surrogates in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
• They serve for 14 years.
• These elections are by borough.

How Do People Run for Judge?

To run, a person must be a lawyer in New York for at least 10 years.

For Civil and Surrogate’s Court candidates collect signatures from voters to appear on the ballot:

• • For Civil Court: 4,000 for countywide seats, 1,500 for district seats.
  • For Surrogate’s Court: 4,000 signatures.

If only one candidate submits a petition in a party for a particular election, that candidate becomes the candidate and runs in the general election. If more than one person in a party gets enough signatures, they run against each other in a primary election.

Supreme Court Candidates are picked differently:

• Each political party in each borough holds a convention to choose their candidates.
• These conventions are attended by delegates from each Assembly District, and party leaders generally have control over who is nominated.  If more than one slate of Delegates in an Assembly District wants to go to the convention, the slates run against each other during the primary.

• The candidates chosen in each convention run in the general election.

For Supreme and Civil Court elections, if there is more than one seat to be filled in a district (or in a borough for borough-wide races), that number of top vote-getters wins. For example, if there are 4 vacancies in a district, the top 4 vote-getters win.

What Else Should I Know?

• Judges in other courts like Family Court and Criminal Court are appointed by the Mayor, not elected. The Mayor uses a selection committee to propose nominees.
• Judges can be moved between courts and geographic locations by the people in charge of the court system.
• Some counties have screening committees that help decide which candidates the political party will support.

In Summary

• Judges are very important—they help make sure laws are followed fairly.
• Voters in New York City can help choose some judges by voting in primaries and general elections.
• Use websites like vote.nyc to learn about the candidates and where to vote.

Remember: Your voice matters. Don’t forget to vote!