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New York Court of Appeals
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The 1842 courthouse of the New York Court of Appeals in Albany
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges which are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms. The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals is also the head of the State's court system's administration, and is thus also known as the Chief Judge of the State of New York. Currently, that is Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye. The 1842 Neoclassical courthouse is located in New York's capital, Albany.
History
The Court of Appeals was created by the New York State Constitution of 1846 to replace both the Court for the Correction of Errors and the Court of Chancery, and had eight members. Four judges were elected by general ballot at the State elections, the other four were chosen annually from among the Supreme Court justices. The first four judges elected at the special judicial State election in June 1847 were Freeborn G. Jewett (to a term of 2 and a half years), Greene C. Bronson (to a term of four and a half years), Charles Herman Ruggles (to a term of six and a half years), and Addison Gardiner (to a term of eight and a half years). They took office on July 1, 1847. Afterwards every two years, one judge was elected in odd-numbered years to an eight-year term. The Chief Judge was always the one of the four elected judges with the shortest remaining term.
In 1869, the State Constitution was amended, and the Court of Appeal was wholly re-organised, taking effect on July 4, 1870. All sitting judges were legislated out of office, and seven new judges were elected by general ballot; only Martin Grover was re-elected. The candidates were nominated on the State election ballot either for Chief Judge or associate judge, and elected to a 14-year term.
A constitutional amendment adopted in November 1899 permitted the Governor, at the request of a majority of the judges of the Court of Appeals, to designate up to four justices of the Supreme Court to serve as associate judges of the Court of Appeals until the Court's calendar was reduced below two hundred cases. This goal was reached only in 1921, and henceforth no more Supreme Court justices were designated under the amendment of 1899 to serve on the Court of Appeals.
Jacob D. Fuchsberg and Lawrence H. Cooke were the last judges elected by general ballot at the State election in November 1974. Since then, the judges have been appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the New York State Senate.
Nomenclature
In New York, unlike most other States of the U.S., the court named "Supreme Court" is a trial court, not the court of appeals of the state, which sometimes leads to confusion.
Another source of confusion is the title of the jurists who sit on these courts. In most states and the federal court system, members of the highest court are titled "Justices." In New York, the members of the Court of Appeals are titled "Judges," while those sitting on the bench of the Supreme Court are titled "Justices."
Current Judges
Chief Judges
- July 1, 1847 - December 31, 1849 Freeborn G. Jewett
- January 1, 1850 - April 1851 Greene C. Bronson resigned
- April 1851 - December 31, 1853 Charles Herman Ruggles
- January 1, 1854 - December 31, 1855 Addison Gardiner
- January 1, 1856 - December 31, 1857 Hiram Denio
- January 1, 1858 - December 31, 1859 Alexander S. Johnson
- January 1, 1860 - December 31, 1861 George F. Comstock
- January 1, 1862 - July 1, 1862 Samuel Lee Selden resigned
- July 1, 1862 - December 31, 1865 Hiram Denio
- January 1, 1866 - December 31, 1867 Henry E. Davies
- January 1 - 12, 1868 William B. Wright died in office
- January 12 ?, 1868 - December 31, 1869 Ward Hunt
- January 1 - July 4, 1870 Robert Earl
- July 4, 1870 - May 13, 1880 Sanford E. Church died in office
- May 20, 1880 - November 14, 1881 Charles J. Folger appointed to fill unexpired term, then resigned
- December 19 1881 - December 31, 1882 Charles Andrews appointed to fill unexpired term
- January 1, 1883 - January 14, 1892 William C. Ruger died in office
- January 19 - December 31, 1892 Robert Earl appointed to fill unexpired term
- January 1, 1893 - December 31, 1897 Charles Andrews age-limited
- January 1, 1898 - August 5, 1904 Alton B. Parker resigned to run for U.S. President
- September 2, 1904 - December 31, 1913 Edgar M. Cullen appointed to fill unexpired term, then re-elected, then age-limited
- January 1, 1914 - December 31, 1916 Willard Bartlett age-limited
- January 1, 1917 - December 31, 1926 Frank H. Hiscock age-limited
- January 1, 1927 - March 7, 1932 Benjamin N. Cardozo resigned to become an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
- March 8, 1932 - December 31, 1934 Cuthbert W. Pound age-limited
- January 1, 1935 - December 31, 1939 Frederick E. Crane age-limited
- January 1, 1940 - September 21, 1945 Irving Lehman died in office
- September 28, 1945 - March 31, 1953 John T. Loughran appointed to fill unexpired term, then re-elected, died in office
- April 22, 1953 - December 31, 1954 Edmund H. Lewis appointed to fill unexpired term, then re-elected, then age-limited
- January 1, 1955 - December 31, 1959 Albert Conway age-limited
- January 1, 1960 - December 31, 1966 Charles S. Desmond age-limited
- January 1, 1967 - December 31, 1973 Stanley H. Fuld age-limited
- January 1, 1974 - December 31, 1978 Charles D. Breitel age-limited
- appointed January 2, confirmed January 23, 1979 - December 31, 1984 Lawrence H. Cooke age-limited
- appointed January 2, 1985 - November 11, 1992 Sol Wachtler resigned
- November 17, 1992 - March 22, 1993 Richard D. Simons Acting until appointment of successor
- March 23, 1992 - present Judith S. Kaye
Former judges
complete list
External links
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Officers in the State of New York |
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