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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APR. 8-14, 2022 BXR
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: 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.
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.”
The Justice System 101:
Inside the Surrogate Courts
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, steelframed
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
The New York County Surrogate Courthouse.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons