N.Y. CPL Law § 350.20

§ 350.20 Trial by judicial hearing officer.\n 1. Notwithstanding any provision of section 350.10 of this article, in\nany case where a single judge trial of an information in a local\ncriminal court is authorized or required, the court may, upon agreement\nof the parties, assign a judicial hearing officer to conduct the trial.\nWhere such assignment is made, the judicial hearing officer shall\nentertain the case in the same manner as a court and shall:\n (a) determine all questions of law;\n (b) act as the exclusive trier of all issues of fact; and\n (c) render a verdict.\n 2. In the discharge of this responsibility, the judicial hearing\nofficer shall have the same powers as a judge of the court in which the\nproceeding is pending. The rules of evidence shall be applicable at a\ntrial conducted by a judicial hearing officer.\n 3. Any action taken by a judicial hearing officer in the conduct of a\ntrial shall be deemed the action of the court in which the proceeding is\npending.\n 4. This section shall not apply where the single judge trial is of an\ninformation at least one count of which charges a class A misdemeanor.\n 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section,\nfor all proceedings before the district court of Nassau county the\nadministrative judge of Nassau county may, and for all proceedings\nbefore the district court of Suffolk county, the administrative judge of\nSuffolk county may, without the consent of the parties, assign matters\ninvolving traffic and parking infractions except those described in\nparagraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of subdivision two of section\nthree hundred seventy-one of the general municipal law to a judicial\nhearing officer in accordance with the provisions of section sixteen\nhundred ninety of the vehicle and traffic law and for all proceedings\nbefore the Buffalo city court the administrative judge of the eighth\njudicial district may, without the consent of the parties, assign\nmatters involving traffic infractions except those described in\nparagraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of subdivision two-a of\nsection three hundred seventy-one of the general municipal law to a\njudicial hearing officer in accordance with the provisions of section\nsixteen hundred ninety of the vehicle and traffic law and for all\nproceedings before the Rochester city court the administrative judge of\nthe seventh judicial district may, without the consent of the parties,\nassign matters involving traffic infractions except those described in\nparagraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of subdivision two-b of\nsection three hundred seventy-one of the general municipal law to a\njudicial hearing officer in accordance with the provisions of section\nsixteen hundred ninety of the vehicle and traffic law.\n