The Rockland County Supreme Court
Rockland sits in the Ninth Judicial District of the New York State Unified Court System. That district covers five counties: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester. The Supreme Court is the statewide court of general original jurisdiction. In Rockland, it handles civil actions, divorces, and special proceedings. Despite the name, it is the place a large lawsuit starts, not where an appeal ends.
The Supreme Court and the County Court are listed together in Rockland. They share the New City courthouse and a chief clerk. The County Court takes felony criminal cases and some civil matters, and it hears appeals from the town and village justice courts. Both run through the County Clerk for filing and through WebCivil or WebCriminal for public case searches.
Because the Supreme Court has general jurisdiction, it can hear almost any civil matter. In practice, it handles the larger lawsuits, divorce actions, and special proceedings that need a trial court of record. A case starts when papers are filed with the County Clerk and an index number is assigned. From there, the court clerks set the calendar and the assigned justice manages the case to its end. The whole campus sits in the Rockland County Government Center, about one mile from Exit 11 on the Palisades Interstate Parkway.
Rockland Supreme and County Court
1 South Main Street
New City, NY 10956
845-483-8310
Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
New York Court Structure in Rockland County
New York's court names trip up almost everyone. The Supreme Court is the trial court. The real appeals courts sit above it. A case can climb from a local court all the way to the state's highest bench, but each step has its own name. The hierarchy below runs from the top down.
- Court of Appeals - New York's highest court, the court of last resort.
- Appellate Division of the Supreme Court - the intermediate appeals court, split into departments.
- Supreme Court - the general civil trial court; in Rockland it handles civil and matrimonial actions.
- County Court - outside New York City, it handles felonies and local-court appeals.
- Family Court - custody, support, paternity, juvenile, and neglect matters.
- Surrogate's Court - wills, estates, and guardianship-related work.
- Town and Village Justice Courts - small claims, landlord-tenant, traffic, and local violations.
So a felony heard in County Court can be appealed up to the Appellate Division, then possibly the Court of Appeals. A traffic case in a village court can be appealed to the County Court. The path depends on the court and the case type.
Rockland County Courts and Contacts
Rockland's courts spread across the New City campus and the towns and villages. The main courts share the courthouse. The justice courts sit in local town and village halls. The table lists every court and office, with the address, phone, and the people who run it where the court system names them.
| Court / Office | Address | Phone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland Supreme and County Court | 1 South Main Street, New City, NY 10956 | 845-483-8310 | Supreme Court Justices John P. Collins Jr., Larry J. Schwartz, Rachel E. Tanguay, Thomas Zugibe; County Court Judges Djinsad Desir and Kevin F. Russo; Chief Clerk Thomas Morrissey. |
| Rockland Family Court | 1 South Main Street, Suite 300, New City, NY 10956 | 845-483-8210 | Judges Andrea Composto, Christopher J. Exias, Nabeela McLeod; Chief Clerk Tara McCoy. |
| Rockland Surrogate's Court | 1 South Main Street, New City, NY 10956 | 845-483-8270 | Surrogate Keith J. Cornell; Chief Clerk Heather Barney, Esq. |
| Commissioner of Jurors | Court campus, New City | 845-483-8400 | Jury information and juror service. |
| Supreme Court Law Library | Court campus, New City | 845-483-8399 | Legal research support. |
| Clarkstown Justice Court | Town court | 845-639-5960 | Local town court. |
| Haverstraw Justice Court | Town court | 845-947-0020 | Local town court. |
| Orangetown Justice Court | Town court | 845-359-5100 | Local town court. |
| Ramapo Justice Court | Town court | 845-357-5100 | Local town court. |
| Stony Point Justice Court | Town court | 845-786-2506 | Local town court. |
| Airmont Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-262-0950 | Local village court. |
| Chestnut Ridge Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-425-3108 | Local village court. |
| Grandview-on-Hudson Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-358-2919 | Local village court. |
| Haverstraw Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-947-4063 | Local village court. |
| Hillburn Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-357-2036 | Local village court. |
| Montebello Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-368-2837 | Local village court. |
| New Square Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-354-5778 | Local village court. |
| Piermont Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-359-0345 | Local village court. |
| Sloatsburg Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-753-5506 | Local village court. |
| Spring Valley Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-573-5820 | Local village court. |
| Wesley Hills Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-354-0404 | Local village court. |
| West Haverstraw Village Justice Court | Village court | 845-947-1013 | Local village court. |
Note: the Family Court chief clerk works under tighter confidentiality rules, so calls about juvenile or neglect matters face limits the civil courts do not.
Rockland County Supreme Court Justices
The Supreme Court bench in Rockland is staffed by several elected justices. The court system names them on the official Rockland Supreme and County Court page. These justices hear the civil and matrimonial caseload that the Supreme Court takes. The County Court judges, who share the building, handle the felony docket.
The Supreme Court Justices are Hon. John P. Collins Jr., Hon. Larry J. Schwartz, Hon. Rachel E. Tanguay, and Hon. Thomas Zugibe. The County Court Judges are Hon. Djinsad Desir and Hon. Kevin F. Russo. The official court page lists current parts and assignments, since those can shift over time. The Surrogate is Hon. Keith J. Cornell, and the Family Court bench includes Hon. Andrea Composto, Hon. Christopher J. Exias, and Hon. Nabeela McLeod.
Each justice runs a part, which is a courtroom and a docket of assigned cases. When you search a Rockland civil case, the result often shows the assigned justice. That helps you find the right calendar and the right part. The court system can reassign cases, so the justice listed on an old filing may differ from the one hearing it now. The official court page is the place to confirm a current assignment before you appear.
Support magistrates also serve in Family Court, handling support and paternity matters under the judges. The Commissioner of Jurors manages jury service for the trial courts. Together with the Law Library and the Help Center, these offices round out the court staff that keeps Rockland's trial courts working.
Supreme Court vs County Court vs Justice Court
Three court levels handle most Rockland cases, and they do very different work. The Supreme Court takes the big civil suits. The County Court takes felonies. The justice courts handle the local, smaller matters. The table sorts out who hears what.
| Feature | Supreme Court | County Court | Justice Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | General trial court | County trial court | Town or village court |
| Main cases | Civil suits, divorce, special proceedings | Felonies, some civil, local appeals | Small claims, landlord-tenant, traffic, violations |
| Where filed | County Clerk | County Clerk | The local court itself |
| Search tool | WebCivil Supreme | WebCriminal | Contact the local court |
| Appeals go to | Appellate Division | Appellate Division | County Court or Appellate Term |
Small claims under $3,000 and all landlord-tenant disputes are handled by towns and villages, not the County Clerk. That is why a tenant case never shows up in the Supreme Court system.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A case climbs the ladder based on its type and outcome. A local case can be appealed up. A trial-court ruling can go to the appeals courts. The flow below shows the common upward path for a Rockland matter, from the lowest court to the highest.
Case flow: Justice Court › County Court › Supreme Court › Appellate Division › Court of Appeals
Not every case touches every rung. A civil suit starts in Supreme Court and skips the lower two. A traffic ticket starts and often ends in a justice court. The path also branches: depending on the court and case type, an appeal from a local court may go to the Appellate Term or the Appellate Division. The court system describes the exact route for any given matter.
The official Rockland Supreme and County Court page shows the courthouse location and links the calendars, e-filing, and forms used at each step.
That Supreme and County Court page is the official starting point for directions, parking, and current judge assignments.
Filing in the Rockland Supreme Court
A civil case begins with a filing at the County Clerk. The party submits a summons with notice or a summons and complaint, completes an index number application, and pays the index number fee, which the Clerk lists at $210. That index number stays with the case from start to finish. Later papers, such as motions and orders, attach to the same number.
Many filings now go through NYSCEF, the state electronic filing system. The County Clerk tells searchers to cross-reference court records against NYSCEF and to flag any mismatch. For self-represented litigants, the Supreme Court Help Center can explain the steps without giving legal advice. Once filed, the case appears in WebCivil Supreme, where the public can track its index number, parties, status, and court dates.