NYS Supreme Court: Its History

By Chapter 4 of the Laws of 1691, the New York Assembly established the New York Supreme Court of Judicature with the same common law jurisdiction as the English Courts of King's Bench, Common Pleas and Exchequer. The court did not have jurisdiction in equity — that jurisdiction was vested in the Court of Chancery. The Supreme Court of Judicature was continued under the 1777 Constitution. Under the 1846 Constitution, the equity jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery became vested in the New York Supreme Court, which from then on possessed general common law and equity jurisdiction.