Created in 1979 by mayoral executive order and established as a charter agency in 1988, OATH is the City's independent administrative law court and is authorized to conduct adjudicatory hearings for all agencies of the City. The Mayor appoints the Chief Administrative Law Judge. Administrative Law Judges are appointed by the Chief Administrative Law Judge to five-year terms. Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) preside over the proceedings at OATH's Trials Division. The OATH Trials Division conducts trials on complex administrative matters, such as civil servant disciplinary cases, contract disputes, zoning issues, car seizures by the police, and human rights and discrimination cases.
City enforcement agencies that issue summonses or notices for alleged violations of the City’s rules and regulations file their summonses at the OATH Hearings Division. OATH Hearing Officers preside over OATH hearings.
OATH also offers mediation services to all City employees to help resolve workplace disputes in a safe, confidential, and efficient manner at its Center for Creative Conflict Resolution (CCCR) and OATH provides resources, support and training for all City and State hearing officers and ALJ’s through its Administrative Judicial Institute.