Supreme Court Trial Division

Felony Trial Bureaus

There are four Felony Trial Bureaus that handle felony dockets from inception to disposition. Assistant District Attorneys assigned to a Felony Trial Bureau are tasked with investigating cases, presenting cases to the Grand Jury, negotiating pleas and sentences, and conducting suppression hearings and trials.
Types of cases include illegal street level drug sales, auto thefts, assaults, burglaries, robberies, as well as weapon possession, attempted murder, vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, and more.

All ADAs receive ongoing training on how to handle all aspects of felony prosecution, including grand jury practice, motion practice, and litigation for hearings and trials.
ADAs may also participate in the Rider Program, where they respond to crime scenes, take statements, attend lineups, and ready search warrants if needed. They correspond with investigators on serious matters and are supervised by a veteran senior prosecutor during their rotations. Throughout this process, ADAs gain invaluable experience and become seasoned litigators ready to move up to more senior bureaus.

Another integral part of the Felony Trial Bureaus is the oversight and staffing of the Felony Problem Solving Courts, specifically, Queens Drug Court, Queens Mental Health Court, Queens DWI Court, Queens Veterans Court, and Queens Judicial Diversion Court in which addicts and/or defendants with mental illness have been placed in community-based treatment programs (i.e. long term residential treatment, outpatient and detox) in lieu of incarceration. These problem-solving, non-adversarial courts utilize the collaborative team approach, working with QDA’s Alternative Sentencing Unit, to manage and monitor defendants.