In the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, District Courts are state courts that are a type of

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

of inferior jurisdiction. District Courts are established in Nassau County the five western

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Suffolk County. Each contains individual districts for civil cases which are organized along town lines, while criminal cases are heard in a separate countywide (in Nassau) or half-countywide (in Suffolk) district. They effectively replace town

justice courts In the New York State Unified Court System, a justice court is a local court that handles traffic tickets, criminal matters, small claims, and local code violations such as zoning. Constitutionally, justice courts are part of the state legal syst ...

in these localities, but have subject-matter jurisdiction and operations similar to city courts. They are not to be confused with the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five counties in New York State: the four Long Island counties of Nassau, S ...

, a federal court whose

territorial jurisdiction A jurisdiction is an area with a set of laws under the control of a system of courts or government entity which are different from neighbouring areas. Each state in a federation such as Australia, Germany and the United States forms a separate ...

includes the two counties, or any of the other federal district courts in New York.

Subject-matter jurisdiction

The court has

subject-matter jurisdiction Subject-matter jurisdiction (also called jurisdiction ''ratione materiae')'' is the authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter. For instance, bankruptcy court only has the authority ...

over civil matters seeking monetary

damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

up to $15,000, small-claims matters seeking monetary damages up to $5,000, and

landlord and tenant A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a ...

matters. The

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

jurisdiction of the court includes trials over

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

s, violations, and

infraction A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence). Canada In Canada, summary offen ...

s, preliminary jurisdiction over

felonies A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

, and jurisdiction over

traffic ticket A traffic ticket is a notice issued by a law enforcement official to a Driving, motorist or other road user, indicating that the user has violated Traffic, traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, suc ...

s charging a crime. In Suffolk County, the jurisdiction of the court also includes town ordinance offenses prosecuted by the towns. This subject-matter jurisdiction is the same as the city courts within New York State.

Organization

The Nassau County District Court is organized into four districts, all of which sit at 99 Main Street,

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...

. The First District covers criminal cases countywide. The other three districts cover civil cases, and are organized by town and city: the Second covers Hempstead and

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, the Third covers

North Hempstead North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hemps ...

, and the Fourth covers Oyster Bay and Glen Cove. The Suffolk County District Court is organized into six districts. One district, having a "central location," covers criminal cases in all five towns. The other five districts, having "outlying courthouses," are each coextensive with one of the towns, and have the above-noted jurisdiction over civil matters, small claims, landlord and tenant matters, and town ordinances. The six districts are: {, class="wikitable" , + !District !Towns covered !Courthouse location , - , First , all , Cohalan Court Complex,

Central Islip Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 34,450 at the 2010 census. History and overview Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the S ...

(criminal) Ronkonkoma (civil) , - , Second ,

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

, Lindenhurst , - , Third , Huntington , Huntington Station , - , Fourth , Smithtown ,

Hauppauge Hauppauge ( ) can refer to: *Hauppauge, New York, a hamlet on Long Island in the United States *Hauppauge Computer Works, a computer component company located in Hauppauge, New York **Hauppauge MediaMVP, a network media player by Hauppauge Computer ...

, - , Fifth ,

Islip Islip may refer to: Places England * Islip, Northamptonshire *Islip, Oxfordshire United States *Islip, New York, a town in Suffolk County ** Islip (hamlet), New York, located in the above town **Central Islip, New York, a hamlet and census-d ...

, Ronkonkoma , - , Sixth , Brookhaven ,

Patchogue Patchogue (, ) is a village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 11,798 at the time of the 2010 census. Patchogue is part of the town of Brookhaven, on the south shore of Long Island, adjoining Great South Bay. It is officially known ...

These districts do not correspond to districts of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

Appeals

Appeals from the District Court go to the Appellate Term of the New York Supreme Court for the Second Department.

History

The Suffolk County District Court became active pursuant to the New York Uniform District Court ActNew York Uniform District Court Act
/ref> in January 1964, replacing the town courts.

References

1964 establishments in New York (state) category:Nassau County, New York New York (state) state courts category:Suffolk County, New York Courts and tribunals established in 1964