DiFiore Delivers Speech On State of the Judiciary

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore delivers the annual State of the Judiciary Address in the Bronx. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzesse.

By David Brand

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore will deliver the annual State of the Judiciary address at Bronx Supreme Court, Civil Term on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

During the speech, DiFiore will report on her signature Excellence Initiative, an effort she introduced in 2016 to make the courts more efficient by the notion that “justice delayed is justice denied.”

DiFiore issued the Year Two Excellence Initiative report in February 2018 and listed priorities for Queens courts.

A priority for Supreme Court, Criminal Term would be to “focus on changing the culture of delay to ensure that, when a case is adjourned for hearing or trial, the parties can expect the hearing or trial to go forward on that date.”

DiFiore listed two priorities for Civil Term last year. First, the court would continue generating “purge reports” to remove matters resolved outside the court from the docket.

“Efforts will continue to closely monitor residential foreclosure matters to ensure that all eligible matters receive settlement conference dates, while simultaneously conducting servicer (lender) calendars whereby lenders and homeowners can meet and exchange all documents under court supervision,” the report also stated.

Though the annual address is customarily delivered at Albany’s Court of Appeals Hall, DiFiore elected to give the speech in the Bronx, where she gave her first State of the Judiciary.