The State of New York Court of Appeals issued three opinions from April 17-23. As of April 23, the court issued 20 opinions in 2023 — eight fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below:
- Anderson v. Commack Fire District, where the court ruled that New York municipal law “does not authorize a claim against a fire district for the negligence of a volunteer firefighter when the firefighter’s actions are otherwise privileged and subject to a heightened recklessness standard.”
- People v. Hartle, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the appellate division…holding that the district court’s summary denial of Defendant’s motion to vacate his conviction was not an abuse of discretion.”
- People v Solomon, where the court overturned a defendant’s plea agreement and reversed his conviction because the written accusation filed by the district attorney was “was jurisdictionally defective” and “failed to comply with the statutory prerequisites.”
From April 17-23, state supreme courts issued 143 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 20. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 83 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 60.
The State of New York Court of Appeals is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Rowan Wilson. The court issued 85 opinions in 2022 and 69 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,027 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,113 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 914. New York is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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