New York courts explore how AI fits into the justice system

And New York's ethics agency has set its legislative agenda for 2026.

Good afternoon — It’s Tuesday and Festivus.

In today’s CapCon:

• New York is exploring different ways artificial intelligence could be used in its state court system, per the judiciary’s $3.2 billion budget request.

• The state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government has set its legislative agenda for 2026. Here’s what’s in it.

• The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America expanded its slate of endorsed candidates for the state Assembly Tuesday.

• Assemblyman Michael Cashman, a newly elected Democrat, has introduced his first bill. It would force a more deliberate, regional approach to state policies.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Office of Court Administration, Jeff Klein, Erica Vladimer, Seymour W. James, Jr., Zohran Mamdani, Jabari Brisport, Julia Salazar, Kristen Gonzalez, Sarahana Shrestha, Emily Gallagher, Marcela Mitaynes, Claire Valdez, Diana Moreno, Christian Celeste Tate, Erik Dilan, Eon Huntley, Stefani Zinerman, Conrad Blackburn, Jordan Wright, David Orkin, Jenifer Rajkumar, Aber Kawas, Gustavo Gordillo, Adam Bojak, Jonathan Rivera, Michael Cashman

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CapCon Note: We’re giving you a break from us tomorrow (Dec. 24) through Friday (Dec. 26) unless there’s seismic breaking news you need to know. See you next week!

(seng kui Lim/Getty Images)

💰 New York’s court system could start using AI to speed up proceedings

When Gov. Kathy Hochul releases her executive budget proposal next month, the plan will include funding for the state court system.

Hochul doesn’t develop that part of the proposed budget. That’s done by leadership at the state Office of Court Administration, which then transmits the plan to Hochul’s office.

State law prohibits Hochul from changing that proposal before it’s presented to the state Legislature for consideration. As such, we already know what it looks like.

The state Office of Court Administration is requesting a funding increase of $199 million, or 6.7%, in the new fiscal year, which begins in April. That’s according to the $3.2 billion plan it published online this month.

That’s split into two categories. The first is a $150 million increase for spending that was already anticipated, like funding for new judgeships created in this year’s state budget and negotiated salary increases for staff.

The second is a $49 million increase spread across several categories, including a $25 million boost in funding for civil legal services, $6.1 million for a statewide lab-based drug testing program and $4.2 million to support attorneys for children in Family Court.

But I want to circle back to the first, larger bucket of funding because I found one area of proposed spending to be of particular interest: artificial intelligence.