In the U.S. state of New York, the District Court is a trial court of inferior jurisdiction serving Nassau County[1] and the five western towns in Suffolk County.[2] It is not to be confused with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, whose territorial jurisdiction includes the two counties.[3]
Subject-matter jurisdiction
The court has subject-matter jurisdiction over civil matters seeking monetary damages up to $15,000, small-claims matters seeking monetary damages up to $5,000, and landlord and tenant matters. The criminal jurisdiction of the court includes trials over misdemeanors, violations, and infractions, preliminary jurisdiction over felonies, and jurisdiction over traffic tickets charging a crime. In Suffolk County, the jurisdiction of the court also includes town ordinance offenses prosecuted by the towns.[1][2]
Places of sitting
In Nassau County, the court sits at 99 Main Street, Hempstead, New York.[1]
In Suffolk County, the court is organized into six districts, including one district, having a "central location," covering all five towns and five districts, having "outlying courthouses," each covering one of the towns. The outlying courthouses have the above-noted jurisdiction over civil matters, small claims, landlord and tenant matters, and town ordinances; the central location has the remaining jurisdiction.[2] The districts, not to be confused with the districts of the New York Supreme Court, are:[3]
- First District, covering all five towns;
- Second District, covering Babylon;
- Third District, covering Huntington;
- Fourth District, covering Smithtown;
- Fifth District, covering Islip; and
- Sixth District, covering Brookhaven.
Appeals
Appeals from the District Court go to the Appellate Terms of the New York Supreme Court for the Second Department.[4]
History
The Suffolk County District Court became active pursuant to the New York Uniform District Court Act[5] in January 1964, replacing the town courts.[3]