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Chief Administrative Judge tells Legislature the courts are recovering but seeks funds for e-filing, problem-solving courts and civil legal services
Summary
Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas told the joint fiscal committees the Unified Court System is restoring staff and expanding e-filing and problem-solving courts, and asked for an operating increase and targeted investments; legislators pressed him on courthouse encounters with ICE, after Zayas said courthouses recorded 58 federal law‑enforcement appearances in 2025, with 4 arrests.
Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas told New York's joint fiscal committees that the Unified Court System is recovering from years of staffing shortfalls and growing its problem‑solving courts and e‑filing program but needs additional funding to sustain gains.
Zayas said the court system's proposed operating increase of $150 million (part of a $3.2 billion request that includes a $49 million priority add) would maintain existing operations and allow continued progress on initiatives the courts view as priorities, including civil legal services, case processing reforms and a statewide rollout of e‑filing.
"Since July 2023, we have increased our nonjudicial workforce by 1,700 employees," Zayas said in opening…
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