Rochester City Court has ten elected judges on the bench - that's more judges on the than any other local court in Monroe County. As you can imagine, each judge has very different ideas about how to oversee their cases.

“Part 1” is the intake (arraignment) part. A judge will sit in Part 1 for about six weeks, during which time every misdemeanor-level offense alleged to have occurred in the City of Rochester will be brought before that same judge for arraignment. Once you are arraigned in Part 1, your case will stay with that arraigning judge unless some compelling circumstance arises.

What does this mean?

It means that, depending on the day you are scheduled to make a first appearance in Rochester City Court, you are either going to have a reasonably good day, or a reasonably horrible day.

The entire tenor of your case can change based on the judge you happen to have.

Most of the judges are exactly what you would expect and hope for when facing a criminal charge; they are very smart attorneys who understand that their role is distinct from that of a prosecutor or defense attorney. They seek to follow the law, and they do so with compassion.