The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson
While scholars have rightly focused on the importance of the landmark opinions of the United States Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, John Marshall, in the rise in influence of the Court in the Early Republic, the crucial role of the circuit courts in the development of a uniform system of federal law across the nation has largely been ignored. This book highlights the contribution of four Associate Justices (Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson) as presiding judges of their respective circuit courts during the Marshall era, in order to establish that in those early years federal law grew from the 'inferior courts' upwards rather than down from the Supreme Court. It does so after a reading of over 1800 mainly circuit opinions and over 2000 original letters, which reveal the sources of law upon which the justices drew and their efforts through correspondence to achieve consistency across the circuits. The documents examined present insights into momentous social, political and economic issues facing the Union and demonstrate how these justices dealt with them on circuit. Particular attention is paid to the different ways in which each justice contributed to the shaping of United States law on circuit and on the Court and in the case of Justices Livingston and Thompson also during their time on the New York State Supreme Court.
1127149250
The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson
While scholars have rightly focused on the importance of the landmark opinions of the United States Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, John Marshall, in the rise in influence of the Court in the Early Republic, the crucial role of the circuit courts in the development of a uniform system of federal law across the nation has largely been ignored. This book highlights the contribution of four Associate Justices (Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson) as presiding judges of their respective circuit courts during the Marshall era, in order to establish that in those early years federal law grew from the 'inferior courts' upwards rather than down from the Supreme Court. It does so after a reading of over 1800 mainly circuit opinions and over 2000 original letters, which reveal the sources of law upon which the justices drew and their efforts through correspondence to achieve consistency across the circuits. The documents examined present insights into momentous social, political and economic issues facing the Union and demonstrate how these justices dealt with them on circuit. Particular attention is paid to the different ways in which each justice contributed to the shaping of United States law on circuit and on the Court and in the case of Justices Livingston and Thompson also during their time on the New York State Supreme Court.
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The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson

The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson

by David Lynch
The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson

The Role of Circuit Courts in the Formation of United States Law in the Early Republic: Following Supreme Court Justices Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson

by David Lynch

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$54.95 
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Overview

While scholars have rightly focused on the importance of the landmark opinions of the United States Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, John Marshall, in the rise in influence of the Court in the Early Republic, the crucial role of the circuit courts in the development of a uniform system of federal law across the nation has largely been ignored. This book highlights the contribution of four Associate Justices (Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson) as presiding judges of their respective circuit courts during the Marshall era, in order to establish that in those early years federal law grew from the 'inferior courts' upwards rather than down from the Supreme Court. It does so after a reading of over 1800 mainly circuit opinions and over 2000 original letters, which reveal the sources of law upon which the justices drew and their efforts through correspondence to achieve consistency across the circuits. The documents examined present insights into momentous social, political and economic issues facing the Union and demonstrate how these justices dealt with them on circuit. Particular attention is paid to the different ways in which each justice contributed to the shaping of United States law on circuit and on the Court and in the case of Justices Livingston and Thompson also during their time on the New York State Supreme Court.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781509939473
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 06/25/2020
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

David Lynch is a retired English Circuit Judge, an Honorary Fellow and Visiting Research Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, and a Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements v

Table of Cases ix

Introduction xix

1 The Supreme Court Justices and the Circuit Court Experiment 1

A Team Effort 7

Why Washington, Livingston, Story, and Thompson? 15

2 The Federal Circuit Courts: Shaping Local and National Justice for an Emerging Republic 23

The Politics of Federal Law 23

The Grand Jury Charge: A Bond between Government and Citizen 32

The Circuit Court Discourse in the Constitutional Ratification and Senate Debates 37

The Jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Courts 39

'A Certain Uniformity of Decision in United States Law' 41

Conclusion 48

3 Bushrod Washington: The Role of Precedent and the Preservation of Vested Interests 51

A Federalist's Journey from Revolutionary Virginia to the Supreme Court 52

Justice Washington and the Role of Precedent in the Federal Legal System 56

Property Rights and Commercial Law on Circuit 66

States' Rights, the War of 1812, and Slavery 73

Conclusion 83

4 Henry Brockholst Livingston: Consolidating Mercantile Law 86

The Early Years: Political Allegiances: From Federalist to Republican 87

Commercial Law for New York State 91

A Republican on a Federalist Supreme Court 96

Maritime and Commercial Law for the United States 104

Conclusion 109

5 Joseph Story: Admiralty Expertise and the Importation of Common Law 111

A Modernising Influence on Law and Procedure on the First Circuit 121

Admiralty and the Enforcement of Embargo Laws 125

Consistency Through the Sharing of Expertise 138

The Supremacy of Federal Law 143

The Protection of Minority Groups 147

Importing Common Law into the Federal Legal System 151

Conclusion 153

6 Justice Smith Thompson: Promoting Commerce, State Sovereignty and the Protection of the Cherokee Nation 157

State Supreme Court: Statutory Interpretation and New York 'Hard Law' 159

Contractual Obligations on the Second Circuit and on the Court 166

'What is to be Left to the States?' 171

The Cherokee Nation and the African-American Slave 175

Conclusion 180

Conclusion 183

Appendix A Reversal Rates 195

Appendix B Majority Opinions Delivered by the Justices 198

Appendix C Legal Education and Prior Judicial Experience of United States Supreme Court Justices 1801-1835 202

Bibliography 206

Index 219

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