The
Court for the Trial of Impeachments, and the Correction of Errors was established by the
New York State Constitution of 1777. It consisted then of the
Lieutenant Governor of New York (who is
ex officio President of the State Senate), the
Chancellor, the justices of the
New York Supreme Court and the members of the
New York State Senate. It had two distinct jurisdictions: the trial of State officers who had been
impeached by the
New York State Assembly, and it served as a "court of last resort" in which decisions, which had become final after being upheld by the New York Supreme Court and the Chancellor, could be reversed on non-judicial grounds, since this court did not render a judgment of law, but consisting of politicians rather than lawyers, could consider political, moral, ethical or other subjective points of view.