Among the busiest tribunals in the state are Family Courts. Now, relief may be in sight through a bill pending in the state Legislature that would increase the number of Family Court judges by 39, including several within the Capital Region.
The measure calls for the creation of 14 judgeships on the Family Court bench in New York City and 25 for the rest of the state. Nineteen counties -- including Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Warren -- are each in line to get one more judge. Erie, Monroe and Suffolk counties would each get two.
``Of all jurisdictions, Family Court judges have the heaviest caseload, and their cases involve some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching issues -- our children,'' state Office of Court Administration spokesman David Bookstaver said. ``Caseloads, over the years, have risen substantially, and the request for additional Family Court judges was based on that rising caseload.''
In Albany County alone, at the end of 2007, Family Court had 15,892 filings, according to Deputy Chief Clerk Dan Pekrol. Through March 23, the first term of this year, 3,077 filings were recorded, he said.
If the bill becomes law, the 39 new judges would represent a 27 percent increase statewide. Most of the new judges would take the bench Jan. 1, 2010, after elections in November 2009, except for New York City, where seven judges would begin hearing cases on Jan. 1, 2009.
Family Court judges' salaries range from $119,800 to $136,700. In Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties, they are paid $119,800.
