Smith v. New York State Unified Court Systems
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05653
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Jone Smith v. New York State Unified Court Systems, Judge Swain transferred Smith’s case to the Eastern District of New York because Queens County was a more convenient venue.
Jone Smith’s case is moved from the Southern District of New York to the Eastern District of New York. The transferee court will decide whether Smith may proceed without prepaying fees; the underlying claims were not resolved.
What happened
Jone Smith v. New York State Unified Court Systems concerns claims about information on the New York State Unified Court System’s electronic docket for Smith’s criminal proceedings in Queens County. Smith, who is incarcerated and represented himself, sued several Queens County officials and offices.
The Southern District of New York concluded that Queens County was where the events underlying the claims occurred and that the Eastern District of New York appeared more convenient for witnesses and documents. The court therefore transferred the action rather than deciding whether Smith’s claims were legally valid.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered the case transferred to the Eastern District of New York. She also directed that no summons issue, closed the case in the Southern District of New York, and denied permission to proceed without paying fees for any appeal.
The detailed version
- Smith v. New York State Unified Court Systems · No. 1:25-cv-05653
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 8, 2025
Background
Jone Smith, who is incarcerated at the Eric M. Taylor Center and is proceeding without a lawyer, brought claims concerning information on the New York State Unified Court System’s electronic docket for his criminal proceedings pending in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Queens County. The defendants include the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the Queens County District Attorney, an unknown Assistant District Attorney, and other named defendants.
Venue Analysis
The court explained that federal law generally permits a civil case to be filed where a defendant resides, where a substantial part of the events occurred, or, in limited circumstances, where a defendant is subject to the court’s personal jurisdiction. The court stated that it was unclear whether venue was proper in the Southern District under the defendant-residence provision because Smith had not alleged where the defendants reside.
The court concluded that venue did not appear proper in the Southern District under the events-based provision. The claims concerned events connected to Smith’s Queens County criminal proceedings, and Queens County is within the Eastern District of New York. The court therefore determined that venue was proper in the Eastern District under that provision.
Transfer Decision
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), a court may transfer a case for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice. The court found transfer appropriate because the underlying events occurred in Queens County and relevant witnesses and documents could reasonably be expected to be there. It concluded that the Eastern District of New York appeared to be the more convenient forum.
Disposition
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered the Clerk of Court to transfer the action to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The order states that the transferee court will decide whether Smith may continue without prepaying filing fees. The court directed that no summons issue and stated that the order closes the case in the Southern District of New York. It also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for purposes of an appeal. The court did not decide the merits of Smith’s underlying claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.