The History of the New York Court of Appeals

From 1932 to 2003, the New York Court of Appeals-the highest court in the state- decided crucial cases pertaining to the social and legal issues of the day. The judges' rulings affected laws regarding motion picture censorship; obscenity, indecency, and immorality; religion; capital punishment; torts; the right to control personal medical care; and abortion.

This comprehensive history completes a two volume series that began with The History of the New York Court of Appeals, 1847-1932. Each case is richly recounted and analyzed, detailing the decisions and dissenting opinions. Short biographies are provided for the judges who served during this period, and changes in the selection of judges, as well as the court's jurisdiction, are thoroughly explained.

Particular to this volume, the authors provide the legal, social, and political contexts for these cases, showing how the law has evolved over time. They examine the court's view concerning its constitutional power to respond to an economic emergency during the Great Depression; they outline cases in which the judges ruled on the government's role in legislating morals and morality; and they focus on the evolution of the court's opinions regarding statutory interpretation, judicial federalism, censorship, constitutional reform, criminal law and capital punishment, rules of evidence, education, family law, and antitrust and labor law.

Bernard S. Meyer (1916-2005) was an associate justice of the New York Court of Appeals from 1979 to 1986 and then became a partner in the firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P. C. in Mineola, New York.

Burton C. Agata is Max Schmertz Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Law at Hofstra University.

Seth H. Agata is Senior Associate Counsel and Home Rule Counsel, Office of Counsel to the Majority, the New York State Assembly.