Rough minutes J0162

Rough minutes

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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:

This series consists of a daily record of court proceedings used to compile official minutes. As such it documents the progress of cases through the courts. Included are court members in attendance; parties involved; and a brief description of case proceedings. Early minutes typically summarizing proceedings; later minutes may include a resolution, decree, or judgment or the substance of an oral motion, argument, or discussion. The minutes also discuss the court's business during its final six months.

Creator:

New York (State). Court for the Trial of Impeachments and Correction of Errors

Title:

Rough minutes

Quantity:

0.3 cubic feet

2 volumes).

Inclusive Dates:

1840-1847

Series Number:

J0162

Arrangement

Chronological by date of court session.

Administrative History

Rough minutes document the progress of cases through the court, the court's method of operation, and the final determination of cases. The contents and format of this series reflect the court's unique composition (entire State Senate, Lieutenant Governor, Chancellor, and Supreme Court Justices) and its parliamentary procedures. Proposed actions were brought before the court on a motion of one member and presented in the form of a resolution. The resolution was debated, sometimes amended, and then voted upon. Because of these procedures, the rough minutes often resemble those of a legislative body rather than a court.

Scope and Content Note

This series is a daily record of court proceedings used to compile the court's official minutes. Rough minutes include the date and names of court members in attendance for each session. Names of parties involved and a brief description of proceedings are included for each case heard at a session. Entries recorded prior to 1842 usually consist of several words summarizing proceedings. Entries recorded after 1842 vary in content and length depending on the stage and complexity of the given case. Such entries may include the text of a resolution, decree, or judgment; the results of a roll call vote; or the substance of an oral motion, argument, or discussion. Rough minutes also document court procedures and administration, such as the establishment of court rules, the setting of dates and locations for sessions, and the swearing in of new members.

The second volume contains information about the court's business during its final six months of existence, January-June 1847, a period not included in the formal minutes, series J0159.

Related Material

J0157 Records of Appeals and Cases in Error, contains detailed information on the cases documented in this series

J0159 Minutes, contains the official daily record of court proceedings.

Custodial History

The Court of Appeals placed these records on deposit at the Historical Documents Collection, Queens College, from 1973-1982. The records were accessioned in conjunction with a project undertaken by Archives staff in 2003 to describe or integrate estrayed or unidentified records.