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Dating from New York's colonial days, when the Burgher Court was established in 1656 in the Dutch controlled Colony of New Amsterdam, through the 1665 Court of Assizes and the 1691 Supreme Court of Judicature in the English-governed Colony of New York, to the present day State Unified Court System, New York boasts an ancient and venerable legal tradition that is unparalleled in our nation's history. The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York has been established to document and preserve this history and to create a public record of the people and events that shaped our jurisprudence. The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York received a Provisional Charter from the Regents of the University of the State of New York on April 23, 2002. The purposes for which the corporation was chartered are:(a) To preserve the legal history of the State of New York.(b) To foster scholarly understanding and public appreciation of the history of the courts of the State of New York and the contribution of the judicial branch of government to the State and the nation.(c) To encourage research into the history and development of the courts of New York and of the Common Law, and to exchange and disseminate information.(d) To issue publications in all formats.(e) To gather, collect, hold, preserve and make available to researchers appropriate collections of artifacts and other materials.(f) To sponsor appropriate permanent, temporary and traveling exhibits and displays.(g) To undertake appropriate programs and events.(h) To place markers at appropriate historic sites, and seek to preserve and maintain those sites. The corporation is a nonstock corporation organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes, and no part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of any individual; and no officer, member, or employee of the corporation shall receive or be entitled to receive any pecuniary profit from the operations thereof, except reasonable compensation for services.  The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York |