Justice Courts for Small New York Towns to Be Overhauled

[mcscajun]

Original Thread on this from September:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2216085&mesg_id=2216085

Update on the story:

November 22, 2006

By WILLIAM GLABERSON

ALBANY, Nov. 21 — New York’s top judicial officials outlined a plan on Tuesday to begin reforming the state’s 300-year-old system of town and village courts, which have been criticized for decades as outmoded, poorly supervised and unfair.

The plan, announced here by the state’s chief judge, Judith S. Kaye, included changes that have been recommended for years by defense lawyers and legal experts. Among them were plans to increase training for the justices, to improve their supervision and to better monitor whether they are protecting basic legal principles like the constitutional right to a lawyer.

The courts — known as justice courts — are also to be required for the first time to keep a word-for-word record of their proceedings, like other courts in the state.

While the officials said that many town and village justices are diligent, Judge Kaye said a sweeping reform program was called for by what she called enduring concerns about the courts. The system has survived a century of calls for radical overhaul by governors and commissions, and an important legal challenge in the 1980s.

(More at link)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/nyregion/22court.html?ei=5094&en=88ab928bdb74d42f&hp=&ex=1164258000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

[Toots]

1. I must admit I am ignorant of the system but sounds like about time....

It sounds like these were more like kangaroo courts than the real thing, but like I say I have no knowledge about them at all.

[mcscajun]

3. You can read quite a bit more about them in the thread from September

That has stories...Ugh.

[Deb]

2. Thanks for posting this

In our village the first requirement to the JP position is a membership in the "good old boy" club or family ties. Never in my life have I known a JP to be a lawyer. Penalties/fines are handed out based on a book from the State and the JP's discretion. Lord help the citizen with a bad reputation, minority skin color or city accent.


Word-for-word records and audits are the very least that should be done.

[mcscajun]

4. Exactly; the very least. It's good to know they're also going to be

requiring training and oversight, finally.