Van Ness was born on February 13, 1778, in a portion of Claverack, New York that later became part of the town of Ghent[1][2][3] Van Ness attended Washington Seminary[4] graduated from Columbia College (now part of Columbia University) in 1797[5] and read law with Edward Livingston in 1800.

[16] Investigators later determined that while they might have been guilty of lax supervision, particularly Van Ness, since Tallmadge had been absent from court because of his extended illness, they were not involved in the theft and were not responsible for Rudd's actions.

[16] Also in 1818, Congress appointed a special committee to look into the official conduct of Van Ness and his judicial colleague, Matthias B. Tallmadge, who apparently did not work well together.

[18] Tallmadge was assigned to the northern district, but his frequent ill health often required Van Ness to preside over both courts.

[18] The committee determined in February 1819 that Tallmadge had not always held court for the northern district on the dates required by law, but that this was not an impeachable offense.

[23] Van Ness was the author of several political and judicial works, including: Examination of Charges against Aaron Burr (1803); The Laws of New York, with Notes, (with John Woodworth), (2 vols.

1813); Reports of Two Cases in the Prize Court for New York District (1814); and Concise Narrative of Gen. Jackson's First Invasion of Florida (1826).

[24] Van Ness' role in the Burr–Hamilton duel is referenced in the musical Hamilton as part of the song "The World Was Wide Enough".