Southampton's Town Justice Court Is The Busiest In The State

Southampton Town Justice Court is the busiest town justice court in New York State, with a judicial spectrum ranging from civil to criminal cases to keep it hustling and bustling every day.

Southampton Town Court Chief Clerk Deborah Renee Brathwaite and Town Justice Deborah E. Kooperstein both confirmed that Southampton Town Justice Court officially handles more cases than any other town court, with four justices and 12 clerks.

The four justices who sit in the court are, in addition to Justice Kooperstein, Edward D. Burke Sr., Andrea H. Schiavoni and Barbara L. Wilson. Along with enforcing the law, they perform weddings inside and outside the courtroom.

Unlike most town courts, Southampton has a judge present seven days a week. In a single day, the court handles as many as 300 cases, and almost 400 cases in the summer months, according to Ms. Brathwaite. “We may even do 20 DWIs in one day,” she said.

“Yes, we get more people in the summer, but we don’t get any down time,” she added.

Some of Ms. Brathwaite’s responsibilities are administrating and supervising the clerk’s office, records management and case filing. Even on a recent “slow” Thursday afternoon, her desk was piled high with paperwork.

As a whole, the state handles about two million cases a year, according to NYcourts.gov—everything from traffic violations to criminal misdemeanors to civil disputes. Civil disputes can include landlord-tenant conflicts or any small claims proceedings.

There are about 1,400 town courts in the state, according to Ms. Brathwaite, who was once on the executive board of court clerks in Albany. Some courts have no more than a single judge overseeing one to two arraignments a month, while courts like Southampton have far more.

Justice Kooperstein operates a Drug Court in collaboration with Riverhead Town Justice Allen Smith. This court was originally a part of Islip’s District Drug Court but branched off, becoming the only drug court on the East End. Justice Kooperstein helped spread awareness of the East End’s drug problem in the movie “The Last Fix: An Addict’s Passage” by Jacqui Lofaro and Victor Teich.

The town court also hosts a national Youth Court program for local high school-age young adults, held on Monday and Thursday nights at 6 p.m. According to Karen Matz, youth counselor and Youth Court coordinator, it covers minor offenses or problem behaviors involving young people, and 60 high school-age volunteers from Westhampton to Pierson act as judge, prosecuting team, defense team, court clerk, bailiff and jury, all playing roles in actual trials. The volunteers strive to think up creative sentences for a defendant, such as a community service that they will enjoy and might continue after the designated time.

For the past 10 years, this court has had a focus on restorative as opposed to punitive justice, according to Ms. Matz: “The court teaches them how their community is affected at large and help them start to understand how their actions affect many people.”

The Youth Court heard 24 cases last year, more than ever before. It has heard 12 cases so far in 2015.

According to Ms. Matz, Justice Wilson has been swearing in the new volunteers for the past nine years and has been very supportive of it, as has Justice Kooperstein. “They embrace it with open arms, even though they are so busy,” she said. “We are blessed to be able to use the courtroom.”