New York A 5984: Makes provisions with respect to the manner of selecting judges and justices of the unified court system; repealer

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
A05984 Summary:

BILL NOA05984 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORCarroll R (MS)

&nbsp

COSPNSRPaulin, Seawright

&nbsp

MLTSPNSRLupardo

&nbsp

Rpld Art 6 §21, amd Constn, generally

&nbsp

Establishes a system of merit selection of judges of the state's major trial courts instead of elections and for the designation of certain justices of the supreme court; affects certain courts including the supreme court, surrogate's court, the New York city civil court, the New York city criminal court and the district court.

Go to top A05984 Actions:

BILL NOA05984 

&nbsp

02/25/2025referred to judiciary

02/28/2025to attorney-general for opinion

03/18/2025opinion referred to judiciary

01/07/2026referred to judiciary

01/08/2026to attorney-general for opinion

01/30/2026opinion referred to judiciary

Go to topA05984 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA05984 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA05984 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5984

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 25, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. R. CARROLL, PAULIN, SEAWRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored
 by -- M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Committee on
 Judiciary

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY

 proposing amendments to article 6 of the constitution, in relation to
 the manner of selecting judges and justices of the unified court
 system, and to repeal section 21 of article 6 thereof relating thereto

 1 Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That subdivision c of
 2 section 4 of article 6 of the constitution be amended to read as
 3 follows:
 4 c. The governor shall designate the presiding justice of each appel-
 5 late division, who shall act as such during [his or her] their term of
 6 office and shall be a resident of the department. The other justices of
 7 the appellate divisions shall be designated by the governor, from all
 8 the justices [elected to] of the supreme court, other than those serving
 9 by interim appointment pursuant to section twenty-one of this article
 10 for terms of five years or the unexpired portions of their respective
 11 terms of office, if less than five years.
 12 § 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That subdivisions b and c of
 13 section 6 of article 6 of the constitution be amended to read as
 14 follows:
 15 b. Once every ten years the legislature may increase or decrease the
 16 number of judicial districts or alter the composition of judicial
 17 districts and thereupon re-apportion the justices to be thereafter
 18 [elected] selected in the judicial districts so altered. Each judicial
 19 district shall be bounded by county lines.
 20 c. [The justices of the supreme court shall be chosen by the electors
 21 of the judicial district in which they are to serve.] The terms of
 22 justices of the supreme court shall be fourteen years [from and includ-
 23 ing the first day of January next after their election].
 24 § 3. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 9 of article 6 of
 25 the constitution be amended to read as follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD89082-01-5

 A. 5984 2

 1 § 9. The court of claims is continued. It shall consist of the eight
 2 judges now authorized by law, but the legislature may increase such
 3 number and may reduce such number to six or seven. The terms of the
 4 judges shall be [appointed by the governor by and with the advice and
 5 consent of the senate and their terms of office shall be] nine years.
 6 The court shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine claims against
 7 the state or by the state against the claimant or between conflicting
 8 claimants as the legislature may provide.
 9 § 4. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That subdivisions a and b of
 10 section 10 of article 6 of the constitution be amended to read as
 11 follows:
 12 a. The county court is continued in each county outside the city of
 13 New York. There shall be at least one judge of the county court in each
 14 county and such number of additional judges in each county as may be
 15 provided by law. The judges shall be residents of the county [and shall
 16 be chosen by the elector