New York State Court of Appeals Subject Index to Decisions and Confidential Reports

Alphabetical by main topic, then by sub-topic.

This index analyzes decisions of the Court of Appeals by legal topic and sub-topic (from "Accounting" to "Workmen's Compensation." The index is in the form of 4 by 6 inch typewritten cards. The card index may have been compiled as a general subject index to Court of Appeals decisions.

Cards contain the following data: topic and sub-topic; case title; narrative paragraph stating facts of case, disposition by trial court or administrative body, results of initial appeal, and decision by Court of Appeals; citation to published decision and opinion in "New York Reports"; internal report number; name of judge writing internal report; and clippings of relevant news articles from law journals and/or general newspapers (pasted on back of index card; found only for some cases).

Most of the information in the index is not unique, being available in published case reports, legal digests, encyclopedias, and in newspapers. The unique data found in the index are the references to the numbered internal reports or memoranda (see Archives series J2003). For several decades during the early twentieth century, one of the judges normally prepared a confidential internal report on a pending case prior to discussion of the case in conference.

J2003Series J2003, New York State Court of Appeals Internal Case Report Files, is indexed by this series. Almost all of the information on the cards is available from other published sources. The clerk and librarian of the Court of Appeals consider this index to be closely associated with the confidential internal reports.

Container list is available at the repository.

References pertaining to confidential reports: Restricted according to memorandum of understanding between Court of Appeals and State Archives, January 1993. Use with supervision of archivist.