Visitors to the Staten Island court dealing with estate and will litigation will no longer have to cruise around St. George struggling to find parking, now that a new branch has moved into a library on the borough’s southern shore. 

Court system administrators and judges traveled down to the remote corner of the city to celebrate the inauguration of the new satellite office in the Charleston Library Branch at 225 Bricktown Way that will provide southern Staten Islanders with a more convenient access point for their court needs.

The satellite court will bring Surrogate’s Court services, such as estate administration, small estate affidavits, and guardianship applications, into the library space. 

“We’ve done a soft opening for 4 or 5 weeks, and some of the remarks from the constituents are, this is a lifesaver. I didn’t have to travel to the North Shore, which has inadequate parking, steep hills, and limited accessibility,” Chief Clerk in Surrogate’s Court Ronald Cerrachio said.

Staten Island Surrogate’s Court Judge Matthew Titone said he believes the satellite office marks a first-of-its-kind in the court system, and thanked court leadership for being open to it. Both Cerrachio and Titone suggested that the need that carried the idea into reality was parking and other logistical hurdles to the primary courthouse. 

“By offering court services in a convenient location with ample free parking, we are removing practical barriers and making the services of the surrogate’s court far more accessible to all Staten Islanders,” Titone said. 

The main surrogate court in Staten Island is located in the thick of the court complex in St. George, a tightly packed grid that also houses a borough hall and the Empire Outlets shopping center. In a borough with only one subway line, where car ownership is more of a norm, the judge suggested that less congested areas relieve a major headache.

“Today marks more than just the opening of a satellite port. It marks a new way of bringing justice and access to the court system and to the people who we serve,” Titone said. “The partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the New York City Public Library demonstrates what can happen when public institutions work together to better serve the community.”

Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina Richardson said she wanted to help Titone and Cerrachio realize their idea for the satellite office as a means of reducing barriers to justice and improving operational efficiency. Richardson described the new location as a help center, which “at their core provides unrepresented, meaning people without lawyers free information about the law, about court procedures, access to court services, and referrals.”

“This is providing us with an amazing opportunity to address access to justice gaps and pursue ways to better serve everyone coming through our court doors,” Richardson said in her remarks. 

The new satellite court will operate every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for appointments and walk-ins. Appointments may be scheduled by emailing RichSurrSatellite@nycourts.gov or calling 718-675-8500.

From left, First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George and Richmond County Administrative Judge Raymond L. Rodriguez.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud Surrogate’s Court Judge Matthew TitonePhoto by Ramy Mahmoud Photo by Ramy Mahmoud From left, Richmond County Administrative Judge Raymond L. Rodriguez and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina RichardsonPhoto by Ramy Mahmoud Staten Island’s Charleston Library BranchPhoto by Ramy Mahmoud