What is the Court of Appeals' role in the New York appellate system?

• A. Appellate court limited to questions of law
• B. Trial court of record
• C. Original jurisdiction in civil matters
• D. Administrative tribunal

Answer: (A)

New York's Court of Appeals is the state's highest court, and its role on appeals is to decide issues of law from decisions of the lower courts. It reviews legal questions and constitutional concerns, not factual findings, and it generally does not reweigh evidence or accept new facts. Cases reach it by discretionary review after the intermediate appellate court has ruled, making it the final arbiter of state law. Because of that, the best description is that it is an appellate court limited to questions of law. The other descriptions would place responsibilities in the Court of Appeals that belong to other courts or tribunals: it is not a trial court handling new civil cases, it does not have broad original civil jurisdiction, and it is not an administrative tribunal.