The New York Civil Practice Act (CPA) was the predecessor to the Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR), which is now Book 7B of the Consolidated Laws of New York. The CPA was in effect from October 1, 1921 to 1962. The last volume of the CPLR in McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated has a table called Distribution of Civil Practice Act that indicates where each section of the CPA was recodified in the CPLR.
To get copies from the CPA, contact the
NYCLA Library (212-267-6646, x204), the New York State Library (518-474-5145) or another library that keeps historical New York legal materials. For the CPA as was initially enacted, see:
- Clevenger's Supreme Court Practice (1921; annotated),
- Gilbert's practice manual (1922; annotated)
To see the CPA as amended in a later year, look in:
- Clevenger's New York Practice (published annually from 1922 to 1962; annotated);
- Gilbert-Bliss Civil Practice of the State of New York (first published in 1926, then updated with pocket parts and periodic replacement volumes; extensively annotated);
- New York Civil Practice by James Cahill (1924-37, annotated); continued as Nichols-Cahill Annotated New York Civil Practice Acts and Cahill-Parsons New York Civil Practice;
- The Civil Practice Act and Rules of Civil Practice of New York Together with the New York City Court Act (1923).
{Thanks to Mikhail Koulikov and Dan Jordan for providing detailed information about the publication history of the Civil Practice Act!}