12-03-2025
Court of Appeals hearing cases in Binghamton this week
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – New York State's highest court is hearing cases in Binghamton this week as part of the court's effort to bring jurisprudence to the people.
The seven member Court of Appeals is sitting in the main courtroom of the historic domed courthouse downtown on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The court's docket has included a variety of appeals in both civil and criminal cases.
After being appointed as Chief Judge in 2023, Rowan Wilson decided to take the court on the road for one week each year in order to expand civic learning and engagement.
After Wednesday's session, Wilson sat down and spoke with News 34.
'Civics education in the United States has really fallen precipitously from what it was 40 or 50 years ago. There are a variety of people on all ends of the political spectrum who fault the inability of people with different views to be able to talk to each other and reach a consensus on that lack of civic understanding,' said Wilson.
Cases being considered this week include a person who was struck by an errant golf ball, someone who tripped over a hole while playing cricket, and a police pursuit stemming from an act of road rage.
Each attorney in each case received 15 minutes to answer questions from the seven judges.
Wilson says the court's focus is on the broader implication of the laws at the center of the case, rather than the individual specifics.
'We're much less deciding that individual case, than we're setting out a rule that's going to apply in the future. That's why we can't refind facts, we're stuck with the facts that the other courts below us have found. Our paramount responsibility is to determine the law of the state,' said Wilson.
Wilson says the court's rulings are based on the New York State Constitution, which is older and much longer than the U.S. Constitution and has been amended many more times.
Students from Chenango Forks, Windsor and Maine-Endwell sat in on the court proceedings on Wednesday and were able to ask the judges questions afterward.
The judges will attend a dinner hosted by the Broome County Bar Association Wednesday evening.
Thursday morning, they'll be back at a newly expanded seven-person bench at the courthouse from 9:30 to 11:30.
The proceedings are open to the public.
The full interview with Wilson can be seen below.
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