WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 15, 2022 14RIDGEWOOD TIMES
Inside the Surrogate Courts
BY AIDAN SEIDEN
EDITORIALSCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
QNS
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 edifi ce 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 o cial
site for the managing of probates and estate
proceedings (among other duties) in the
New York State Unifi ed Court System.
Every county in the state of New York
has a Surrogate Court — each with the
purpose of adjudicating cases involving
the a airs 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.
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 modifi
ed to where most trials and hearings have
continued; however, they are now conducted
remotely, with individuals appearing
virtually using Microso Teams.
With the court’s sta having returned
to work in person on a full-time basis, it appears
as though the Surrogate Courthouse
is once again continuing to a ect public
good.
RIDGEWOOD OFFICE PRODUCTS CENTER
“YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS”
We Deliver Or Ship UPS Anywhere
67-16 Fresh Pond Road (Near M Station) · www.ridgewoodoceprod.com
We provide most services that your pet
would receive when going to the vet
for a technician visit.
Insured and bonded!
INK CARTRIDGE
SALE
FREE PAPER PROMO
• Oce / Home Oce Furniture
• Interior Design and Layout
• Fire Proof Safes / Home Security Boxes
• Computer Printers / Cash Registers
• Printing / Copies / Fax Services
• Rubber Stamps / Name Plates
• Leases / Blumberg Legal Forms
• Art Supplies / Fine Writing Pens
1-718-386-3266
We Say
Thank You
77 Years
Of Serving
The Greatest
Customers
Since 1945
/www.ridgewoodoceprod.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.ridgewoodo
