Surrogate court judges in New York have sole authority to appoint their courts’ chief clerks, not the Office of Court Administration, according to a recent decision by a Buffalo trial court judge.
![Surrogate's Court Judge Honorable Acea M. Mosey.](https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/389/2024/07/Judge-Acea-M.-Mosey-Square-202407161728.jpg)
State Supreme Court Justice Catherine Nugent Panepinto’s ruling in favor of Erie County Surrogate Judge Acea Mosey on July 12 dealt a blow to OCA’s position that a constitutional amendment in 1978 unified the court system, and placed nonjudicial employees under the authority and auspices of the chief judge and his top administrative judge.