Rochester City Court
| Rochester City Court | |
|---|---|
| File:Logo of Rochester, New York.svg Logo of the City of Rochester | |
| Established | 1876 |
| Location | Rochester, New York, United States |
| Authorized by | New York State Constitution |
| Appeals to | Monroe County Court |
| Judge term length | 10 years |
| Number of positions | 10 |
| Website | ww2 |
| Chief Judge | |
| Currently | Theresa D. Johnson |
| Since | January 1, 2007 |
| Lead position ends | December 31, 2022 |
Rochester City Court consists of ten full-time judges, each of whom is elected to a 10-year term by the citizens of the City of Rochester.
History
Created in 1876, the Court was initially named the "Municipal Court of the City of Rochester" and had two judges.[1] Originally, city courts throughout the state were self-regulating and prescribed their own rules of procedure and bounds of jurisdiction.[2] Rochester City Court was governed by the Rochester City Court Act, which was a part of the Charter of the City of Rochester.[3]
In 1935, Judge Jacob Gitelman introduced weekend sentencing. He was the first judge in New York State to do so.[4] In 1964, the New York State Constitution was amended to require uniform jurisdiction, practice, and procedure for the city courts, to be regulated by the state legislature.[2]
The court's first African-American judge, Reuben K. Davis, was appointed to the city court bench in March 1967.[5]
In the 1980s, the court heard cases involving the prosecution of the "Topfree Seven," women who intentionally bared their chests once a year to protest the criminalization of female nudity. Judge Herman J. Walz ruled that the women could not be prosecuted under New York's public nudity statute because their act of going topless to protest the law was imbued with First Amendment protections.[6] The decision was later affirmed by the New York Court of Appeals.[7][8][9]
By 1995, Rochester City Court had eight judges. A ninth was added in 2001.[10] The Court was brought to its current complement of ten judges in 2014[11]
Jurisdiction
In New York State, the 61 city courts[12] outside of New York City handle the arraignment of felonies, try misdemeanors and lesser offenses, and try civil lawsuits involving claims of up to $15,000. Rochester City Court also hears small claims matters up to $5,000.[13] Rules of practice and procedure within all city courts are prescribed by the Uniform City Court Act.[14]
Rochester City Court, like all city courts, follows the individual assignment system ("IAS"). This means that each case is assigned to a judge when the case is first initiated and, with a few exceptions, stays under the supervision of that particular judge until the case is resolved.[15]
The New York State Unified Court System is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals who is the ex officio Chief Judge of New York. All city courts throughout the state are part of the Unified Court System.[16]
Judges
Each judge must be a city resident and must have been an attorney in New York for at least five years.[17] Judges have a mandatory retirement age of 70. Vacancies on the court are filled by the mayor, and judges so appointed must run for a full term at the next general election.[18]
| Judge | Took office / Length of service |
Term expiration / Mandatory retirement |
College | Law school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa L. Barrett | December 15, 2018 7 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2029 | University of Albany | University at Buffalo Law School |
| Charles F. Crimi Jr. | January 1, 2008 18 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2024 | Georgetown University | Albany Law School |
| Maija C. Dixon | January 1, 2008 18 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2026 | University of Rochester | University at Buffalo Law School |
| Jack Elliott | December 17, 2003 22 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2023 | Nazareth College | University of Dayton School of Law |
| Theresa D. Johnson (Chief Judge) | January 1, 1991 35 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2023 | Yale University | Boalt Hall School of Law |
| Michael C. Lopez | January 1, 2020 6 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2028 | SUNY Brockport | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| LaToya S. Lee | January 12, 2022 4 years, 5 months |
December 31, 2032 | SUNY Buffalo | Albany |
| Nicole D. Morris | December 17, 2019 6 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2029 | SUNY Buffalo | University at Buffalo Law School |
| Van H. White | July 7, 2022 3 years, 11 months |
December 31, 2032 | State University of New York at Albany | Georgetown Law Center |
| Jacquelyn Grippe | January 1, 2023 3 years, 6 months |
December 31, 2032 | Antioch College | Syracuse University College of Law |
Former notable judges
- Marjorie Byrnes, member of the New York State Assembly.
- Frank P. Geraci Jr., a federal judge in the Western District of New York.
See also
Further reading
- Galie, Peter J.; Bopst, Christopher (2012). The New York State Constitution (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-986056-2. LCCN 2011051555. Search this book on
- Gibson, Ellen M.; Manz, William H. (2004). Gibson's New York Legal Research Guide (PDF) (3rd ed.). Wm. S. Hein Publishing. ISBN 1-57588-728-2. LCCN 2004042477. OCLC 54455036. Search this book on
- Lincoln, Charles Z. (1906). The Constitutional History of New York. Lawyers Co-operative Publishing. OCLC 1337955. Search this book on
- "New York State Constitution". New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on 2016-02-07. Retrieved 2012-09-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - "The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York".
- [19]
- [20]
External links
Coordinates: 42°39′08″N 73°45′14″W / 42.652319°N 73.753946°W
References
- ↑ Scott, Henry (1909). The Courts of the State of New York. New York: Wilson Publishing Co. p. 473. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Latwin, Joseph (Fall 1990). "City Courts: Organization and Civil Jurisdiction". Westchester Bar Journal, 279.
- ↑ H.G. Fischer & Co. v Lincoln Rochester Trust Co., 195 Misc 983, 985 (Rochester City Court, 1949).
- ↑ https://roccitylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2013.004-Gitelman.pdf
- ↑ "Celebrating Black History Month in the 7th Judicial District" (PDF). The Legacy.
- ↑ "Judge Rules Women Free To Bare Breasts To Get A Message Across". Associated Press.
- ↑ Bauder, David. "NY's Highest Court Throws Out Charges Against Topless Protesters". Associated Press.
- ↑ People v Santorelli, 80 NY2d 875 (1992), affg People v Craft, 134 Misc 2d 121 (Rochester City Court, 1986).
- ↑ Fahringer, H P (1993). "EQUAL IN ALL THINGS: DRAWING THE LINE ON NUDITY". Criminal Law Bulletin. 29 (2): 137–146.
- ↑ L.2001, c. 584, §§ 3 to 6, effective December 28, 2001
- ↑ L.2013, c. 548 §§ 1 to 4, effective April 1, 2014
- ↑ Latwin, Joseph (Fall 1990). "City Courts: Organization and Civil Jurisdiction". Westchester Bar Journal. 17.
- ↑ "SmallClaimsAppRocCityCourt | NYCOURTS.GOV" (PDF). ww2.nycourts.gov.
- ↑ UCCA § 102
- ↑ Latwin, Joseph (Fall 1990). "City Courts: Organization and Civil Jurisdiction". Westchester Bar Journal, 280.
- ↑ N.Y. Const. Art. VI, § 17(a).
- ↑ "Legislation". NY State Senate.
- ↑ UCCA § 2104 (e)(2)(i)
- ↑ "State Commission on Judicial Conduct". cjc.ny.gov.
- ↑ "Yacknin". cjc.ny.gov.
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