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. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equ ...

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 John Nanfan (1634–1716) was a Lieutenant Governor of the Province of New York from 1698 to 1702. He served as acting governor for about a year between the death of the Earl of Bellomont and the arrival of Bellomont's successor, Lord Cornbury ...

, 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 diff ...

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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by ...

. 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