Summary Jury Trial Project

 

Introduction

The Eighth Judicial District pioneered the use of the summary jury trial in New York State under the leadership of former  Supreme Court Justice Joseph Gerace and former Administrative Judge Vincent E. Doyle.  Summary jury trials are now available in all counties in the 8th JD.

By successfully resolving nearly all of the cases in which it is used, with only a fraction of the resources the court and the parties would expend in preparing for and conducting a full trial, the summary jury trial is a potent tool for relieving calendar congestion. It also preserves a core value of our legal system, the resolution of disputes by a jury of ordinary citizens. Jurors benefit by fulfilling their civic duty with a minimum of inconvenience; courts benefit by freeing up valuable space on their calendars; and parties benefit by resolving their disputes in a prompt and cost-effective manner.
 

Program Manuals & Forms

Program Manual

Bench Manual

Stipulation of Binding Summary Jury Trial

 

In The News

Summary Time Blues
ABA Journal - October, 2004

Advantages of the Summary Jury Trial Program
The Daily Record - Sept. 15, 2004

"Mini-Trials" Prove Cost-Effective Way to Seek Justice
NYS Jury Pool News - Spring 2003

The Success of Summary Jury Trials
The Jurist - Fall/Winter 2002