New York Court Records Search
New York has their Courts of Appeal split into three separate entities. The Court of Appeals, then there are Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court and the Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeals in New York is the highest court in the state (much like a Supreme Court in other states). This court is the court of last resort for many cases and has a Chief Judge and six Associate Judges. Each one is appointed to their position and serves a 14-year term. The Court of Appeals is unlimited in the types of appeals and cases they can handle. The New York Court of Appeals has its own complete website full of information for patrons, published opinions, forms for filing cases, notices from the NY Bar Association, court calendars, FAQs, links of interest and other appellate resources for attorneys and the general public. Oral arguments are open to the public and simulcast through the website for viewers who cannot attend in person.
New York has four Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court with one in each judicial division. These courts hear both criminal and civil appeals coming from the trial courts and civil appeals from the Appellate Terms and County Courts. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is split into two divisions called First Department and Second Department. Within each department are a few judicial districts.
The Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court are also intermediate appellate courts that hear cases from New York City Civil and Criminal Courts. Some of these courts hear cases from District Courts, City Courts or Town and Village Courts. In some situations, appeals from City Courts and Town and Village Courts go instead to the County Courts for processing.