Queens Family Court sees recertified judges return after two-day training

Judge Joseph Esposito is among judges trained to take to the Family Court bench. Photo via UCS

By Rachel Vick

Before returning to the bench last week, a handful of Queens judges recertified and reassigned to Family Court underwent a crash course in their new part as most got ready to hit the ground running.

A two day course from the Office of Court Administration went over types of cases, different court personnel roles and court operations to help prepare them for their return  as efforts to work through backlogged cases continue. 

“We very much look forward to their service and positive contributions in addressing the backlogs and increased demand for services in the critically important Family Court,” Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said Monday. “While the certification process was long and tortuous for all involved, we are greatly relieved that…we can welcome back these experienced and dedicated Justices to help our court system resume.”

DiFiore thanked the returning judges  “for their patience and perseverance, and for their extraordinary commitment to our court system.”

Judge Joseph Esposito, one of the older judges who decided to return, is getting ready for his first jury trial just one week after reassignment. He said his background in the matrimonial part gives him a leg up on the tense dynamics and some of the case types — like custody — but that there is still a lot to learn.

“I wasn't totally unfamiliar [but] I didn't do family court, it's very complicated... but if I didn't have that background it would be a lot harder,” Esposito said. “Training was very helpful, and people remotely helped us. You can't be an expert after two days of videos, but they provided [enough to start].”

Esposito said that he chose to attend a third and optional training day geared towards new judges because “you can’t have enough education when you have all these issues.”

One of the greatest challenges moving forward is the sheer volume of cases, but Esposito maintains a positive outlook on the return to serving the community, the ability of his peers to adapt and the return of his court staff — including a member of his old team from Civil Court.

“You really have to have a judge and his or her staff ready to roll up their sleeves to tackle these problems,” Esposito said. “I think [people] are happy that the case is starting to move again and it's a good thing that the certified judges came back… to lend their experience.”

“It's a work in progress,” he added. “I'm just looking to do the best I can and when the staff is back later this week I'll be able to go at 100 percent.”