In a May 22, 2020 Notice to the Bar, the Court of Appeals advised that its Albany-based staff will return to the courthouse by May 28, and that oral arguments for the June 2020 session will proceed in-person. While the courtroom will be closed to the public, the arguments will be webcast live.

The Court of Appeals ruled on an interesting election law issue in Matter of Ferreyra v. Arroyo, at the end of last month. The court determined that the designating petition for a State Assembly candidate from the Bronx was invalid because it was fraudulent on its face. The record showed that 512 of 944 signatures on the petition were dated one or two days before the candidate had received the petition forms. In a 4-3 decision issued as a per curiam opinion, the court deemed the petition “so permeated by fraud” that it required invalidation.