During the 11 years that Steven Tekulsky has served as an East Hampton Town Justice, he has presided over every type of case within the court’s jurisdiction, including criminal, vehicle and traffic, small claims, landlord/tenant proceedings, Village and Town Code violations, dangerous dog matters, from arraignment and preliminary proceedings to pre-trial hearings, deciding contested motions, to bench and jury trials.
During his 3 terms, he has had to navigate several significant changes to Justice Court practice: Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, Bail and Discovery Reform starting in January 2020 and, most significantly, the numerous Executive and COurt orders affecting court operations throughout the pandemic starting in March 2020. Since the conclusion of the Covid-19 restrictions, East Hampton Town Justice Court has incorporated at least one of the practices required during the pandemic: The use of virtual conferences for arraignments and pre-trial conferences, a very efficient use of technology allowed under New York State.
As an appointed Drug Court Judge, Steven sits on the East End Regional Intervention Court every other week. He is part of a team that determines which applicants to accept as participants and presides over their cases. He has attended 3 Drug Court multi-day conferences for continuing education in management of substance abuse issues.