Replies

1.) the NY State Supreme Court is NOT the highest Court in NY State. It is a statewide trial court jurisdictionally, and as such is a common trial court. Can’t get a divorce in NY State without it coming before the “Supreme” Court. So— it is small potatoes. the true power (and it is political as hell) is the NY Court of Appeals. 2.) The NY Appeals Court is OVER the Supreme. Merchan is an apparatchik of the State of New York.

To amplify this a bit - New York has the usual three tiers, but they have different and unusual names than most people are used to. The "Supreme Court" in New York is the LOWEST level - it's equivalent to a District Court in the federal system. Their second level is the "Appellate Division", which is equal to a US Court of Appeals. Their highest level is oddly called the "Court of Appeals", even though that is their equivalent to the US Supreme Court.

This whole litigation has been designed to attempt to get a guilty verdict before the 2024 election, with the wink and nod that the reversal - at either one of the NY appellate levels or at the US Supreme Court - will take time.

50 years ago NY’s highest court was officially called The Court of Final Appeals. But folks thought that moniker was a bit too grisly. Raised images of Old Sparky in Sing Sing.