WELCOME, NYS ATTORNEYS!
Our Mission: Collaborate with Lawyers and Judges to Protect, Promote & Preserve NYS Legal History
Historical Society of the New York Courts is an independent 501(c)(3) that brings together a collaborative team of NYS judges and lawyers to reach the larger public about the importance of our shared legal history and the great legacy of the legal profession — how it works to promote democracy, ensure justice, and promote the Rule of Law.
This is how we do it:
Reaching NYS Students
Our educational initiatives, reaching middle school, high school, and community college students and their teachers, empower students to understand civic rights and obligations through the intersection of current issues and the historic, and continuing, role of the courts.
Learn More About Our Student Initiatives
Open to the Public
We produce engaging programs that capture the interest of the public and draw large audiences, often in partnerships with other organizations. All public events are filmed and readily available to view online.
Watch Our Programs
Living History of NYS Judges & Lawyers
Created to document the paths to the law, careers, experiences, and observations of retired judges and lawyers, prominent members of the NYS Bench and Bar, we record these irreplaceable personal accounts from childhood to retirement.
Visit Our Oral History Interview Archive
What We Publish
Our publications include a yearly calendar, the journal Judicial Notice and books. Our journal has given voice to professional and amateur historians who wish to explore a corner of legal history since the inception of the Society.
Read Our Publications
Saving Court Records
Many records across NYS are stored in damp and musty facilities, unable to be used for research. Through this collaboration with the Unified Court System and NYS Archives, many important early documents were transfered from unfit storage in lower Manhattan to archival facilities in Albany. This is the first step in bringing these important records to light.