‘Not so-Public' Hearings on the Housing Court
by Angelita Anderson

How is the Housing Court doing?

That's the question the Housing Court Advisory Council sought answers to when they held public hearings on November 4 and 5 in each of the borough Housing Court buildings.

Almost a year has passed since the court began implementing a new policy initiative entitled, "Breaking New Ground." The intention of the initiative was to expedite cases while making the court more accessible. There was no public hearing prior to issuance or implementation of the initiative. Thus, this was the first opportunity for litigants, legislators, practitioners, and the public to voice their opinion about the changes.

The Housing Court Advisory Council is a 14-member group which was created to oversee the operations of housing court, make recommendations about potential judges, and review the performance of current judges for reappointment. The panel is configured to be representative of those who are concerned about Housing Court: two real estate representatives, two tenant representatives, two civic representatives, four public-at-large representatives, two bar association representatives, one mayoral representative, and one gubernatorial representative. Each member is appointed by the administrative judge of the courts, based on recommendations of yet another appointed search committee, for a three-year term. Until 1994, most of the members of the Advisory Council served for terms of 10 to 20 years or more. The legislature then amended the statute to limit tenure to three-year non-renewable terms.

Apparently, the Advisory Council had some problems getting notice out to groups, individuals and the media. Even the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court, an organization which always testifies at such hearings on the plight of tenants without attorneys, was not notified. They only received confirmation of the rumored hearings two weeks before they were held.

As a result, the attendance was very low. In total we counted approximately less than 50 people in all five boroughs. In Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens there were no landlord representatives or landlord attorneys. It is possible that they have disregarded the Advisory Council, as their recent list of candidates for judgeships was more diverse than in the past.

In spite of limited notice, The Task Force and a few housing advocacy organizations were able to attend and testify about the problems tenants face in Housing Court. Some of the concerns that surfaced were problems with the lack of information about the new calendar process, increased pressure on tenants to sign final judgments on the first date in court, a need for a easy means to request an interpreter, and concerns about the role of the court attorneys intended to negotiate in new resolution parts. The Advisory Council will accept further written statements about the housing court through the second week of December at the following address: The Advisory Council of NYC Housing Court, 111 Centre Street, 12th Fl., New York, NY 10013. We encourage all readers who have experiences or concerns about Housing Court to write a letter immediately.

Angelita Anderson is head of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court, Inc.