TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 15-21, 2022
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BY AIDAN SEIDEN
Towering over the northwest corner
of Chambers Street, between Centre and
Elk streets, sits the historical New York
County Surrogate Courthouse.
The seven-story, steel-framed edifice
features 54 hand-carved statues with a
granite facade and intricate marble interior
— and was also the home of New
York City’s Hall of Records until 1962.
Now it is the official site for the managing
of probates and estate proceedings
(among other duties) in the New York
State Unified Court System.
Every county in the state of New York
has a Surrogate Court — each with the
purpose of adjudicating cases involving
the affairs of decedents, which includes
the validation of wills, estate administration
for New Yorkers who died without a
will, as well as adoption proceedings.
Alongside the Surrogate Courts, the
Family and Supreme Courts have equal
power over guardianships of infants.
Each of New York’s 62 counties has
one elected surrogate judge, with the exception
of New York County (Manhattan)
and Kings County, which each have two.
In New York County, the surrogate judges
are Hon. Nora S. Anderson and Hon.
Rita Mella.
Both judges oversee a variety of complex
cases on a daily basis, answering the
court’s most commonly asked questions,
which are as follows: What happens if my
loved one dies without a will? Who may
be appointed to handle an estate proceeding?
I am the executor of a will; how do I
get the will admitted to probate?
All of these inquiries can also be answered
at the Surrogate Court’s Help
Center in Room 302, which is available as
a source of information from Monday to
Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m.
In addition, the Records Room remains
open to the public (by appointment
only), giving visitors access to records
dating back as late as 1674, including documents
signed by Alexander Hamilton
and Aaron Burr.
In fact, The New York Times reported
in January 2017 that a substantial set of
records were being transferred to the
New York County Surrogate Courthouse
Hall of Records. However, upon the box’s
arrival, they merely accounted for about
10% of the total collection.
While full access to the Hall of Records
has been restored, a few other areas
of the courthouse were subject to
COVID-19 related restrictions. In recent
months, safety precautions have been
implemented to protect the health of
employees as well as court users. Current
in-person visitors are now serviced
one at a time, and are required to wear a
mask and submit to temperature screening
and questioning upon arrival.
Similarly, proceedings have been
modified to where most trials and hearings
have continued; however, they are
now conducted remotely, with individuals
appearing virtually using Microsoft
Teams.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
With the court’s staff having returned
to work in person on a full-time basis, it
appears as though the Surrogate Courthouse
is once again continuing to affect
public good.
And according to Chief Judge Janet
Difiore, “the New York State Court System
provides essential justice services to
the people of the state of New York.”
Inside the Surrogate Courts
Wishing Everyone a Joyous
Passover and a Happy Easter!
Congressman
Gregory W. Meeks
5th Congressional District of New York
/QNS.COM
