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Caribbean Life, April 14-20, 2022
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:
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 am to noon and from 2 to
4 pm.
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.
The New York County Surrogate Courthouse. Wikimedia Commons
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