By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MUNICIPAL DISTRICT — The five state court buildings in Manhattan and others citywide were shut down for a snow day Wednesday, a rare decision for judicial officials who must now deal with case delays.
Court administrators took cues from the city's school system and local federal courts, both of which issued snowstorm closings in advance on Tuesday.
An announcement closing city courts was posted just before midnight on the state court system's Web site on Tuesday. Updates throughout the day Tuesday encouraged jurors, employees and lawyers to check back periodically for revisions.
"We've learned from past experiences that to bring employees in and say we'll send them home when it gets bad is not the wisest choice," said David Bookstaver, a spokesperson for the New York State court system.
The city's state courts have only closed early, but not for an entire day in recent memory, Bookstaver said.
Officials expected an abundance of case adjournments and issues with court employees and litigants getting to court, had courts remained open.
"We felt it was appropriate to make a decision last night for the safety of the public, who has to come to court, the lawyers and the people who work in the court system," he added.
State court judges must reassign all of the court dates scheduled for Wednesday, which may prove difficult for judges with heavy Wednesday calendar days.
Some criminal court judges in can have nearly 100 appearances scheduled on a given day, with the added difficulty of coordinating new dates with lawyers from both sides of each case.
Criminal court arraignments and emergency applications in family court remained open Tuesday.
"If you plan for this type of thing and know what you have to do, then it's not a nightmare," Bookstaver said. "But it is difficult."
