CapCon: What NY's courts want in this year's state budget, Numbers of New York

Plus, a right to shelter settlement and a look at what's up with two bills environmentalists want to get passed this year.

Good afternoon — it’s Friday, and World Sleep Day.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON: What New York’s top court officials want in this year’s state budget; right to shelter settlement; checking in on two environmental bills gaining steam; and Numbers of New York looks at homeowner protection funding.

🔨 Is Monday a Session Day? Yes.

☁️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Cloudy, high 30s New York City: Clouds, mid-40s (National Weather Service)

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😮‍💨 CapCon Note: We’re sorry this is coming to you late! Substack had a sitewide crash in the last 90 minutes that delayed things.

And it’s been a fun week. We’ve been throwing a lot at you the last couple of days.

Today, I’m sending you a lighter newsletter so you can get to your weekend faster. But I’ve still got some interesting items in here that I think you’ll like. See you next week!

— Dan

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Chief Judge Rowan Wilson (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)

⚖️ What New York’s court system wants in this year’s state budget

🧑‍⚖️ Leaders of New York’s court system are asking for the second-highest percentage spending increase in this year’s state budget, with Medicaid at the top.

That caught my eye yesterday as I was skimming through Gov. Kathy HOCHUL’s proposed budget from January.

• If you’re not familiar, the state’s Unified Court System submits their budget request each year to Hochul and the Legislature.

• Because their budget only amounts to about 1 percent of the state’s total spending, lawmakers usually aren’t too critical of it. 

But I was curious about their budget request this year because there was a big change last year. New York got a new chief judge: Rowan WILSON.

Wilson is considered further to the left than his predecessor, former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. During her six years on the bench, legal analysts framed her as legally conservative.

• Wilson was nominated by Hochul after her initial pick for the job was rejected by the state Senate.

• Before that, he was an associate judge on the state’s highest court, and was considered one of the court’s liberal jurists.

As you will hear often in Albany, budgets are a statement of priorities. So, naturally, I wanted to see where Wilson’s priorities were through his budget request.