New York State Attorney General's Office Formal and Informal Opinions of the Attorney General
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Overview of the Records
Repository:
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Summary:
The series consists of opinions and advisories rendered by the attorney general to state officers (including the governor
and state comptroller) and to heads of various state departments, boards, and commissions. The bulk of later opinions interpret
sections from parts of the corpus of state law (e.g. Civil Service Law, Public Officers Law), provide interpretations of issues
(e.g. compensation over eminent domain), or suggest rules for compliance with enacted legislation (e.g. auto registration
under the Highway Law).
Creator:
Title:
Formal and informal opinions of the attorney general
Quantity:
24.5 cubic feet
47 volumes
Inclusive Dates:
1800-1917
Series Number:
11076
Scope and Content Note
The series consists of manuscript and typescript copies of opinions and advisories rendered by the attorney general to state
officers (including the governor and state comptroller) and to heads of various state departments, boards, and commissions.
To a lesser extent there are responses to private citizens, or lawyers representing them, who may have been parties to actions
by the state.
The opinions are in the form of letters in answer to specific inquiries, or as general directives to groups or classes of
persons (e.g. commissioners of prisons, street commissioners). The bulk of later opinions interpret sections from parts of
the corpus of state law (e.g. Civil Service Law, Public Officers Law), provide interpretations of issues (e.g. compensation
over eminent domain), or suggest rules for compliance with enacted legislation (e.g. auto registration under the Highway Law).
As such the opinions often directly pertain to the powers of officials and legislative intent. A statement of facts and a
formal presentation of the inquiry are typically included with each opinion.
The copies are unsigned. Opinions dating from the second half of 1893 (after July 15) are missing from the series.
11076-97: The accretion is a loose assortment of opinion letters, most of which were sent as responses to the comptroller's
office. Many are signed by the attorney general. The bulk of the opinions date 1800-1894. Arrangement is roughly chronological;
a small group of opinions post-date 1893, somewhat filling a gap in the original series accretion.
Related Material
B1203 Attorney General's opinions furnished to the Secretary of State extends and may fill gaps found in this series.
Other Finding Aids
Available at Repository
11076-94: Alphabetical subject index at the fore of each volume.
Acquisition Information
11076-94: Volume 15 (1893 Part); and Volumes 34 and 35 (1909) were never received by the Archives are considered to be no
longer extant.
Processing Information
11076-97: These documents were originally part of old accession -15, series 1173-1174, but were accessioned as an accretion
to Series 11076 in 1997. This accession resulted from a project by Archives staff to accession or integrate estrayed or unidentified
records.
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.
Access Terms
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Geographic Name(s):
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Detailed Description
Dates |
Contents |
Box |
Accretion: 11076-94 |
1816-1828 |
Volume 1: Inclusive |
1 |
1913 |
Volume 2: Opinions 1-474 |
2 |
1854 February 17-1867 November 27 |
Volume 3: Opinions 1-291 |
3 |
1845 February 26 -1857 February 25 |
Volume 4: Opinions 1-121 |
4 |
1868 January 22-1871 April 21 |
Volume 5: Opinions 1-343 |
5 |
1878 January 5-1881 January 26 |
Volume 6: Opinions 1-482 |
6 |
1881 February 17-1884 June 11 |
Volume 7: Opinions 1-493 |
7 |
1884 June 13-1886 January 25 |
Volume 8: Opinions 1-487 |
8 |
1886 January 26-1887 August 16 |
Volume 9: Opinions 1-497 |
9 |
1888 January 4-1888 December 31 |
Volume 10: Opinions 1-424 |
10 |
1889 January 3-1889 December 10 |
Volume 11: Opinions 1-466 |
11 |
1890 January 1-1890 October 10 |
Volume 12: Opinions 1-499 |
12 |
1890 October 11-1891 August 23 |
Volume 13: Opinions 1-426 |
13 |
1892 January 1-1893 July 15 |
Volume 14: Opinions 1-474 |
14 |
1894 January-1894 April |
Volume 16: Opinions 1-221 |
16 |
1894 May-1894 August |
Volume 17: Opinions 1-509 |
17 |
1894 September-1894 December |
Volume 18: Opinions 1-764 |
18 |
1895 January-1895 June |
Volume 19: Opinion 1-229 |
19 |
1895 July-1895 December |
Volume 20: Opinions 1-289 |
20 |
1896 |
Volume 21: Opinions 1-333 |
21 |
1897 |
Volume 22: Opinions 1-400 |
22 |
1898 |
Volume 23: Opinions 1-336 |
23 |
1899 |
Volume 24: Opinions 1-356 |
24 |
1900 |
Volume 25: Opinions 1-329 |
25 |
1901 |
Volume 26: Opinions 1-192 |
26 |
1902 |
Volume 27: Opinions 1-103 |
27 |
1903 |
Volume 28: Opinions 1-376 |
28 |
1904 |
Volume 29: Opinions 1-115 |
29 |
1905 |
Volume 30: Opinions 1-146 |
30 |
1906 |
Volume 31: Opinions 1-170 |
31 |
1907 |
Volume 32: Opinions 1-101 |
32 |
1908 |
Volume 33: Opinions 1-192 |
33 |
1910 January 1-1910-May 25 |
Volume 36: Opinions 1-131 |
36 |
1910 June 22-1910 December 31 |
Volume 37: Opinions 1-329 |
37 |
1911 January-1911 March |
Volume 38: Opinions 1-183 |
38 |
1911 April-1911 December |
Volume 39: Opinions 1-328 |
39 |
1912 January-1912 April |
Volume 40: Opinions 1-103 |
40 |
1912 May-1912 December |
Volume 41: Opinions 1-244A |
41 |
1913 January 2-1913 May 23 |
Volume 42: Opinions 1-115 |
42 |
1913 May 23-1913 December 26 |
Volume 43: Opinions 116-221 |
43 |
1914 January 1-1914 June 1 |
Volume 44: Opinions 1-59 |
44 |
1914 June 1 -1914 December 29 |
Volume 45: Opinions 60-115 |
45 |
1915 January-1915 December |
Volume 46: Opinions 1-112 |
46 |
1916 January-1916 December |
Volume 47: Opinions 1-36 |
47 |
1917 January-1917 December |
Volume 48: Opinions 1-55 |
48 |
Accretion: 11076-97 |
1801 October 27 - 1884 November 28 |
Volume 1: Opinions 1-228 |
1 |