New York State Judiciary

New York State Judiciary

The New York State Unified Court System is the official name of the judiciary of New York in the United States and is based in Albany.

The court system in New York tends to produce mild confusion for outsiders. The highest court of appeal is the Court of Appeals (instead of the "Supreme Court") whereas the primary felony trial courts are the Supreme Court and the County Courts (outside of New York City). The Supreme Court also acts as the intermediate appellate court for many cases, and the local courts handle a variety of other matters including small claims, traffic ticket cases and local zoning matters, and are the starting point for all criminal cases.

The New York State Judiciary is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals who is the administrator-in-chief and known as the Chief Judge of New York, and is assisted by the Chief Administrative Judge. The administration of the court system is also assisted by the New York State Education Department, New York State Board of Law Examiners, Judicial Conference, and New York State Law Bureau. The New York State Bar Association is the voluntary bar association of New York.