Anne-Marie Jolly, administrative judge, NYC Family Court, joined members of New York's bench and bar, child welfare experts and others to commemorate the 60-year anniversary of the State's Family Court on Nov. 1, 2022. at the Court of Appeals. Photo by David Handschuh/UCS

      When New York established Family Court into the state constitution in the early 1960s, it was considered experimental, a law professor wrote in a 1988 issue of the New York State Bar Journal. As he noted, the core issues for the then-fledgling tribunal—settling family disputes and protecting children—were of course nothing new for the courts. By that point, Children's Courts had been operating in New York for decades. But what was transformational was the establishment of a statewide court to handle these matters—and that counsel was assigned to represent children. In the 60 years that followed, the New York's Family Courts have faced its share of controversies and problems maintaining adequate resources. But it has also continued to grow and change. On Tuesday, judicial officials gathers at Court of Appeals Hall in Albany to look back on the history of a court that was considered a radical development just a few generations ago.