4 New York Civil Practice: CPLR P 2221.00

Summary

The advent of the Individual Assignment System (“IAS”)1 is, in a sense, an expression of the concept embodied in CPLR 2221, that is, that the fair and efficient administration of justice is better served when one judge is responsible for a case from its inception to its conclusion. CPLR 2221 is a broad provision encompassing two sections of the former Civil Practice Act and a considerable body of case law doctrine. Throughout it and the case law that it reflects runs the pervasive policy that, as a general proposition, one judge should not pass upon or review a matter previously determined by another judge of equal authority.2