Despite convention vote, Chief Judge seeking court reform

In the aftermath of the vote rejecting a New York state constitutional convention, which might have provided a pathway to judicial reforms, Chief Justice Janet DiFiore is now planning to explore legislative avenues to changes.

DiFiore has announced that the task force created in July 2016 to study the potential benefits to the courts of a constitutional convention will reconvene to examine ways to make the courts more efficient.

The task force will now work to identify potential reforms the Legislature might consider to streamline the state’s court system, which now has multiple levels of trial courts.

The task force members are:

• Alan D. Scheinkman, co-chair and administrative judge, Ninth Judicial District.
• Dennis Glazer, co-chair, retired from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
• Ariel E. Belen, mediator and arbitrator, Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services Inc., retired justice, Appellate Division, Second Department.
• Gerald Benjamin, associate vice president for regional engagement, SUNY New Paltz.
• Christopher Bopst, co-author of treatise on the New York State Constitution.
• Richard Brodsky, senior fellow at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and retired member of the state Assembly.
• John P. Cahill, counsel, Chadbourne & Parke LLP.
• Craig Doran, administrative judge, Seventh Judicial District.
• Carey R. Dunne, counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.
• Peter J. Galie, professor of political science, Canisius College, co-author of treatise on the New York State Constitution.
• Henry M. Greenberg, Greenberg Traurig LLP.
• Roberta A. Kaplan, partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
• Howard A. Levine, senior counsel, Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, and retired state Court of Appeals Judge.
• Milton Tingling, New York County Clerk

Counsel to the task force:

• Marc Bloustein, first deputy counsel, Office of Court Administration.
• William D. Marsillo, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP.