The chief administrative judge of New York has announced the appointment of new Housing Court judges across the city, including two key appointments in Manhattan. This move is seen as a significant step toward addressing the city's growing backlog of housing cases.

Yekaterina Blinova and Adam Meyers have been named the new judges in Manhattan’s Housing Court. Their appointments are part of a broader strategy to manage the rising number of disputes between landlords and tenants. These cases often involve sensitive issues such as evictions and repairs, which have become increasingly contentious topics in New York City.

Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas expressed gratitude to both the governor and the Legislature for their support in establishing these new judgeships. He noted that these positions were urgently needed to address the court's backlog and to better serve the residents of New York City.

The urgency of these appointments is underscored by recent statistics from the New York state court system. So far this year, New York County has seen 15,030 eviction filings. Before the pandemic in 2019, advocates estimated that landlords in New York were filing approximately 14,000 residential eviction cases each month. The pandemic temporarily reduced these numbers due to eviction restrictions, but by 2021, the suppressed cases began to overwhelm an already understaffed court system.

In addition to the new judges, the Manhattan Housing Court will also see the hiring of new court attorneys and clerical staff to help manage the high volume of cases. This influx of new personnel is expected to alleviate some of the pressure on the court and ensure more timely resolutions to housing disputes.