Legal Definitions - New York Supplement

The New York Supplement (abbreviated as N.Y.S. for its first series and N.Y.S.2d for its current second series) is a specialized collection of law books containing published court decisions from New York State. It specifically compiles the rulings made by New York's intermediate appellate courts and other lower courts of record, covering cases from 1888 to the present day. This resource is an essential part of the larger National Reporter System, which provides legal professionals with a comprehensive record of judicial opinions across the United States.

Here are some examples of how the New York Supplement is used:

• Legal Research for Precedent: A lawyer in New York is preparing a defense for a client involved in a contract dispute. To understand how similar cases have been decided in the past, the lawyer would consult the New York Supplement. They might search for rulings from the New York Appellate Division (an intermediate appellate court) concerning contract interpretation, hoping to find a favorable precedent that supports their client's position. The decisions found in the New York Supplement would then be cited to the court to influence the outcome of the current case.

• Academic Study of Legal Trends: A legal historian is researching the evolution of environmental law in New York during the late 20th century. To track how specific environmental regulations were interpreted and applied by the state's courts, the historian would examine volumes of the New York Supplement from that period. By analyzing the published decisions from various intermediate and lower appellate courts, they could identify trends in judicial thinking and the development of legal principles related to environmental protection.

• Judicial Reference for Consistency: A judge presiding over a civil case in a New York trial court encounters a novel legal argument regarding a specific procedural rule. Before making a ruling, the judge's law clerk might be tasked with reviewing the New York Supplement to see if the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Term (another intermediate appellate court), has previously addressed similar procedural challenges. This ensures that the judge's decision aligns with established interpretations from higher courts within the state, promoting consistency in the application of law.