New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore's plan to overhaul the state court system is getting an endorsement from a former Obama Cabinet secretary who found the system is unfair to people of color.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says the plan to simplify the court structure would address many of the inequities he uncovered in a review for DeFiore in 2020.
Under the plan, all county, family, and surrogate judges would become state Supreme Court justices.
The upstate city courts would be consolidated with the New York City Court into a statewide municipal court system.
The proposal would require an amendment to the state Constitution.