New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department

43°9′27″N 77°36′10″W / 43.15750°N 77.60278°W / 43.15750; -77.60278

Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department
M. Dolores Denman Courthouse
Map
Established1894 (1894)
LocationRochester, New York
Composition methodGubernatorial appointment
Authorised byConstitution of the State of New York
Appeals toNew York Court of Appeals
Websitewww.nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/
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The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, or simply the Fourth Department, is one of the four geographical components of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, the intermediate appellate court of the State of New York. Its courthouse is located in Rochester, New York.[1]

Jurisdiction

Main article: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

The Fourth Department of the Appellate Division holds jurisdiction over 22 counties in Central and Western New York State, and includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Geographically, the Fourth Department extends from the St. Lawrence River in the north to the Pennsylvania border in the south and from the Mohawk Valley in the east to Lake Erie and the Province of Ontario to the west.[2]

Appeals are taken to the Appellate Division, as a matter of right, in civil and criminal cases, from the Supreme Court, Surrogate's Court, Family Court, and Court of Claims.[3]

Along with the state's other three Appellate Departments, it shares responsibility for all admissions to the New York bar. Under the state's bar admission rules, all bar applicants must be interviewed in person by one of the Appellate Departments. Once admitted by one department, a new attorney may practice in any New York state court. The Court is also responsible for oversight of attorney conduct, as well as the administration of special protections for minors and the incapacitated within the Department.[4]

Presiding Justices

George A. Hardin 1895-1899 William II. Adams 1899-1903
Peter Baillie McLennan 1903-1913 Frederick W. Kruse 1913-1922
Irving G. Hubbs 1923-1928 Charles Brown Sears 1929-1940
Harley N. Crosby 1940-1943 Benjamin B. Cunningham 1944
Marsh N. Taylor 1945-1953 Francis D. McCurn 1953-1959
Alger A. Williams 1960-1968 Earle C. Bastow 1968
Harry D. Goldman 1969-1973 John S. Marsh 1973-1978
Michael F. Dillon 1979 – 1991[5] M. Dolores Denman 1991-1999[2]
Eugene F. Pigott Jr. 2000-2006[6] Henry J. Scudder 2006-2015[7]
Gerald J. Whalen 2016-present[8]

References

  1. ^ "Overview of the Appellate Division". New York Courts. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Appellate Court leader announces retirement". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester NY. December 23, 1999. p. 9. Retrieved May 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ The Practice of law in New York State (PDF). New York State Bar Association. 2018. p. 6. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  4. ^ The Practice of law in New York State (PDF). New York State Bar Association. 2018. p. 14. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  5. ^ The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Fourth Judicial Department (PDF). The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York. 1996. p. 7-12. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  6. ^ McCarthy, Robert J. (August 19, 2006). "Pigott respected on both sides of aisle". The Buffalo News. Buffalo NY. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "Scudder reappointed presiding justice". The Daily Record. Rochester NY. January 28, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "Justice Whalen to lead Fourth Department". The Daily Record. Rochester NY. January 11, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2024.