The Office of the State Reporter was created in 1804 by the appointment of George Caines as New York's first State Reporter. During the ensuing 200+ years, the office has evolved into the New York State Law Reporting Bureau, now headed by William J. Hooks, the 26th State Reporter.

     The history of the Law Reporting Bureau and State Reporter was compiled on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of New York State law reporting in a 2004 publication entitled "But how are their decisions to be known?"

     A significant contributor to the Law Reporting Bureau's historical record was James M. Flavin, the 21st State Reporter. Mr. Flavin was a pioneer in computer-assisted legal research and publishing, inspiring technological advances in his agency, in the New York State Bar Association and in the private sector. On May 30, 2008, a celebration of Mr. Flavin's contributions to electronic legal publishing was held at the New York State Court of Appeals.