The New York
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...
was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847.
History
The New York Court of Chancery was established during the British colonial administration on August 28, 1701, with the
colonial governor acting as Chancellor.
John Nanfan, the acting governor at the time, was therefore the first Chancellor. After the declaration of independence by the colonies during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, the newly established independent government created the
New York State Constitution
The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...
of 1777, which continued the court but required a lawyer to be appointed Chancellor.
It was the court with jurisdiction on cases of
equity
Equity may refer to:
Finance, accounting and ownership
* Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them
** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business
** Home equity, the dif ...
in the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
New York from 1777 to 1847. It served also as a court of appeal which reexamined cases decided by the
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
.
The Chancellor of New York, during the existence of the post, was the highest judicial officer in the state.
From 1777 to 1822, he was an
ex officio member
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
of the
Council of Revision. The Chancellor was also an ex officio member of the
Court for the Trial of Impeachments and Correction of Errors in which his decisions could be appealed.
1847 Abolition
The Court of Chancery was abolished by the
New York State Constitutional Convention
The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...
of 1846, which reorganized the New York state judicial system. This became effective on July 5, 1847, when its equity jurisdiction was transferred to the New York Supreme Court and its appellate jurisdiction was transferred to the
New York Court of Appeals. The
Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals succeeded the Chancellor as the Head of the State's judicial system.
List of Chancellors of New York
The following were the Chancellors of the State Court of Chancery:
References
{{NYStateOfficers
Courts of equity
New York (state) state courts
Defunct state courts of the United States
Legal history of New York (state)
1777 establishments in New York (state)
1847 disestablishments in New York (state)
1701 establishments in the Province of New York
Courts and tribunals established in 1701
Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1847