Nie tylko Court of Appeals jest na samej górze w Darkowym schemacie, ale też opis jego poczynań idealnie odpowiada opisowi stanowego sądu najwyższego:

The Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court, is composed of a Chief Judge and six Associate Judges, each appointed to a 14-year term. New York's highest appellate court was established to articulate statewide principles of law in the context of deciding particular lawsuits. The Court thus generally focuses on broad issues of law as distinguished from individual factual disputes. There is no jurisdictional limitation based upon the amount of money at stake in a case or the status or rank of the parties.