The Orange County Supreme Court Explained
New York uses court names that confuse most searchers. The Supreme Court is the court of general trial jurisdiction, not the top court in the state. The highest court is the Court of Appeals. In Orange County, the Supreme Court hears broad civil matters that sit outside the limited reach of the lower courts. That includes divorce, separation, and annulment. It also hears injunctions, foreclosure, and large money claims.
The court works alongside the County Court in the same building in Goshen. The two share a campus but split the work. Supreme Court takes the civil and matrimonial side. County Court takes felony trials and a slice of civil cases. The NY Courts type page states that Supreme Court generally hears civil claims for more than $25,000 and cases where one party asks the court to stop another party's action. For day-to-day filings, judgments, and certified copies, the Orange County Clerk is the records hub.
Orange County Court Table and Judges
Orange County holds several courts, and each keeps its own records and clerk. The Supreme and County Court share an address. Family Court sits in the same Main Street building. Surrogate's Court and the three City Courts stand on their own. The table lists every court, where it sits, and who staffs it.
| Court | Address | Phone | Judges / Clerk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Supreme & County Court | 285 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924 | 845-476-3500 | Supreme Justices Hon. Brett Broge, Hon. Kyle C. McGovern, Hon. Mary Anne Scattaretico-Naber, Hon. Verris B. Shako, Hon. Maria S. Vazquez-Doles, Hon. E. Loren Williams; County Judges Hon. Craig Stephen Brown AJSC, Hon. Kara Gerry, Hon. Hyun Chin Kim; Chief Clerk Lynn McKelvey |
| Orange Family Court | 285 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924 | 845-476-3520 | Hon. Amanda B. Brady, Hon. Victoria B. Campbell AJSC, Hon. James M. Hendry III, Hon. Christine Krahulik; Chief Clerk Diane S. Gould |
| Orange Surrogate's Court | 30 Park Place, Goshen, NY 10924 | 845-476-3655 | Surrogate Hon. Timothy McElduff, Jr. AJSC; Chief Clerk Amy Miller |
| Middletown City Court | 2 James Street, Middletown, NY 10940 | 845-476-3630 | Hon. Steven W. Brockett, Hon. Theresa R. Cayton; Chief Clerk Jamie Cevetillo |
| Newburgh City Court | 300 Broadway, Newburgh, NY 12550 | 845-483-8100 | Hon. Joanne M. Forbes, Hon. Anika C. Mohammed, Hon. Paul D. Trachte; Chief Clerk Deirdre Premuto |
| Port Jervis City Court | 20 Hammond Street, Port Jervis, NY 12771 | 845-476-3700 | Hon. Kiel Van Horn, Hon. Matthew D. Witherow; Chief Clerk Teri Androvette |
The Supreme Court Justices ride the matrimonial and civil parts. The County Court Judges sit on felony matters. For court-paper copies from any of these courts, the County Clerk and each court's Chief Clerk handle requests, which you can read about on the court clerk offices page.
Supreme Court vs County Court vs City Court
The three court levels split the work by case type and dollar amount. Supreme Court takes the biggest civil cases and all divorce. County Court runs felony trials and limited civil claims. City Courts handle local crime, traffic, and small money cases. The grid below sets them side by side.
| Supreme Court | County Court | City Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Types | Divorce, foreclosure, injunctions, large civil suits | Felony trials, some civil, criminal appeals from local courts | Misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, housing |
| Civil Limit | No fixed cap; general jurisdiction | Up to $25,000 | Up to $15,000; small claims to $5,000 |
| Criminal Authority | Limited; mainly civil and matrimonial | Felony trials outside New York City | Misdemeanors and lesser offenses |
The split matters for a search. A divorce file is never in City Court. A felony is never tried in Supreme Court. Match the case to the right court before you start, and you save time. For broad case lookup help, see Orange County court records.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A case can climb several rungs before it ends. A minor matter may start in a City Court or a town or village Justice Court. A felony moves to County Court. A large civil suit or a divorce begins in Supreme Court. From there, an appeal goes to the Appellate Division, and a final appeal may reach the Court of Appeals. The simple flow below shows the common path.
Case flow: City / Justice Court › County Court › Supreme Court › Appellate Division › Court of Appeals
Not every case touches every level. Many cases settle or close at the trial court. The flow is a map, not a rule. Appeals from City, Town, and Village Courts in this region often run to the Appellate Term in the Second Department instead. The point is to know where a case sits now and where it could go next.
Supreme Court Civil and Matrimonial Work in Orange County
Supreme Court in Orange County splits its docket between general civil cases and matrimonial cases. The civil side covers contract disputes, tort claims, foreclosure, tax certiorari, and requests to stop or compel an action. The matrimonial side covers divorce, separation, and annulment. Divorce files are restricted by law, so the public cannot freely read them.
Divorce, separation, and annulment all begin here, not in Family Court. That is one of the most common mix-ups in New York. Family Court handles custody, support, and protection, but not the divorce itself. To start an uncontested divorce, the state publishes a forms packet, and the court can be reached for forms guidance at 845-476-3430. More on matrimonial access lives on the marriage and divorce records page.
Orange County Supreme Court Location in Goshen
The main courthouse for Supreme, County, and Family Court records sits at 285 Main Street in Goshen, NY 10924, phone 845-476-3500. Hours run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on state holidays. Parking and accessible parking are in the municipal lot. Transit is limited, so plan to drive and allow extra time. The map below shows the courthouse spot on Main Street, drawn from a map of the Orange County courthouse at 285 Main Street.
Treat 285 Main Street as the entrance for Supreme, County, and Family Court. The Surrogate's Court sits a short walk away at 30 Park Place, and the County Clerk is at 255 Main Street. ADA features include public elevators on all public floors and restrooms on floors one through three. Accommodation requests go to the District Executive at 914-824-5100 a few days ahead.
Note: Shortline and Coach USA buses drop riders in the Village of Goshen about one mile from the court, so factor in the walk.
The 9th Judicial District
Orange County sits in New York's 9th Judicial District. The district also covers Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester. The district administrative office is at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 11th Floor, White Plains, NY 10601, phone 914-824-5100. Hon. Anne E. Minihan, JSC, serves as District Administrative Judge.
The administrative office runs personnel, budgets, court security, interpreters, and case management across the five counties. It carries out the rules of the Chief Judge and the Chief Administrative Judge. For an Orange County searcher, this matters because court technology, calendars, and clerk staffing all flow from this district structure. The same office fields ADA accommodation requests for Supreme and County Court.
County, Family, Surrogate's, and Local Courts
Below the Supreme Court sit several courts, and each holds its own records. The County Court runs felony trials and limited civil claims up to $25,000. The Family Court hears custody, support, paternity, abuse and neglect, and juvenile matters, and its records are closed to the public. The Surrogate's Court handles wills, estates, trusts, and adoptions.
The three City Courts in Middletown, Newburgh, and Port Jervis take misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, and housing matters. Town and village Justice Courts handle local traffic, small claims, evictions, and many arraignments. New York has more than one thousand of these local courts statewide, and Orange County's towns and villages run their own. A case can move up from a Justice Court to the County Court or higher, depending on the charge.
Appeals From Orange County Courts
An appeal does not retry the case. It asks a higher court to review the law and the process. From the Supreme and County Court, appeals run to the Appellate Division, and Orange County sits in the Second Department for many appellate purposes. Appeals from City, Town, and Village Courts in the Second Department often go to the Appellate Term instead.
The Court of Appeals is the last stop, and it takes only a small share of cases. Most matters end well before that point. To track filings and dates as a case moves, use the state case portals and the calendars described on the court dockets page.