The Supreme Court is the only court in New York that has the authority to grant a divorce, divide pensions and property. The Supreme Court has all the power of the Family Court, plus it determines the issues of property. The judge in the New York Supreme Court has the authority to address all the issues of the divorce to include: child custody/visitation, child support, division of property, division of debt and any other issue regarding the final disposition of the marriage. The divorce court judge is interested in final and global resolutions of all the issues.
In many counties, specific judges have been appointed to only hear matrimonial cases. This allows the judge to become very familiar with the ins and outs of divorce and family law. In Nassau and Suffolk County on Long Island, the matrimonial judges hearing divorce cases, sit in separate “matrimonial centers”:
Make sure to read our What to Expect in a Divorce page for more information about the Supreme Court in New York.
