He was a justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1847 to 1861, and removed to Kingston, New York, the seat of the bench of the Third Judicial District. He was an ex officio judge of the Court of Appeals in 1847–48, 1856 and 1860.
In 1861, he was elected to the New York Court of Appeals on the Union ticket nominated by War Democrats and Republicans, and took office on January 1, 1862. He became Chief Judge on January 1, 1868, but died less than two weeks later.