Responding to Chief Judge Address on Family Court Investments 

In response to New York State Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson’s 3rd State of the Judiciary address on February 9, 2026, Lawyers For Children releases the following statement:

“We applaud the Chief Judge for continuing to pursue his commitment to increase state support for New York's family courts. His message demonstrated an important understanding of the complexity of family court practice and the folly of increasing resources for family court jurists without matching increases for the state-funded attorneys who must appear before them. To eliminate the two-tier system of justice that fails a disproportionate number of Black and Brown children and families who appear in our family courts, we must fully and fairly fund the family courts in the same way that we fund the jurists and state-funded attorneys in the NYS Supreme Courts.  Budgets always reflect values, and we urge the Governor and the Legislature to support a judiciary budget that truly reflects Chief Judge Wilson's plea for justice for all.” 

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