Patrick Connelly is reporting for the Buffalo Law Journal and Buffalo Business First New York lawmakers are looking into a proposal to consolidate some of the state's courts. The proposal was announced in September by state Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore who oversees New York’s unified court system. The new structure would have three parts: town and village courts, as they are currently set up; municipal courts (which includes city and district courts); and higher courts. Higher courts would include the current Supreme Court, county courts, family courts, surrogate's courts and the Court of Claims. Those courts would have six branches: criminal, claims, commercial, family, general and probate. Lawmakers held the first legislative hearing on the proposal November 13 in Albany, with a second scheduled for November 21. The changes proposed would require amendments to the state constitution. To become official, they would have to be approved by two consecutively elected state Legislatures and then ratified by the voters. Read the full story at BizJournals [dot] com.