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Ellsworth Court

{{Short description|Period of the US Supreme Court from 1796 to 1800}}

{{Infobox SCOTUS CJcourt| court_name = Ellsworth Court| previous = Rutledge Court| next = Marshall Court| image = Oliver Ellsworth.jpg| image_upright = .75| alt = | caption = Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth| start = March 8, 1796| end = December 15, 1800| duration = ({{age in years and days|1796|03|08|1800|12|15}})| location = Old City Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| positions = 6| decisions = Ellsworth Court decisions}}

The Ellsworth Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States from 1796 to 1800, when Oliver Ellsworth served as the third Chief Justice of the United States. Ellsworth took office after the Senate refused to confirm the nomination of Chief Justice John Rutledge, who briefly served as a Chief Justice as a recess appointment. Ellsworth served as Chief Justice until his resignation, at which point John Marshall took office. With some exceptions, the Ellsworth Court was the last Supreme Court to use seriatim opinions.{{cite book|last1=Schwartz|first1=Bernard|title=A History of the Supreme Court|date=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|page=39}}

Membership

{{see also|List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States}}

The Ellsworth Court began in 1796 when the Senate confirmed President George Washington's appointment of Ellsworth. Washington had previously nominated both Rutledge and Associate Justice William Cushing to the seat, but Rutledge's nomination was denied by the Senate and Cushing refused the nomination on the basis of his health.Schwartz, 39 The Ellsworth Court began with Ellsworth and four Associate Justices from the Jay Court: William Cushing, James Wilson, James Iredell, and William Paterson. Associate Justice Samuel Chase took office shortly after Ellsworth's tenure began, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Blair, Jr. during the Rutledge Court. Wilson died in 1798, and President John Adams appointed Bushrod Washington to take his seat. Alfred Moore joined the court in 1800 after the death of Iredell.

=Timeline=

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bar:2 color:GW from:1796.19 till:1800.96 text:William Cushing (1790–1810)

bar:3 color:GW from:1796.19 till:1798.65 text:James Wilson (1789–1798)

bar:4 color:JA from:1798.85 till:1800.96 text:Bushrod Washington (1798–1829)

bar:5 color:GW from:1796.19 till:1799.82 text:James Iredell (1790–1799)

bar:6 color:blank from:1799.90 till:1800.30 text:Alfred Moore (1800–1804)

color:JA from:1800.30 till:1800.96

bar:7 color:GW from:1796.19 till:1800.96 text:William Paterson (1793–1806)

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Bar key: {{legend inline|#87cefa|Washington appointee}}   {{legend inline|#f5deb3|J. Adams appointee}} }}

Other branches

Presidents during this court included George Washington and John Adams. Congresses during this court included 4th through the 6th United States Congresses.

Rulings of the Court

{{see also|List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Ellsworth Court}}

The Ellsworth Court issued some notable rulings:

  • Hollingsworth v. Virginia (1798): In a per curiam opinion, the court ruled that the president plays no part in amending the Constitution.
  • Calder v. Bull (1798): In an opinion written by Justice Chase, the court held that the Constitutional prohibition on ex post facto laws applies only to criminal acts, and that the Supreme Court of United States has no authority to determine whether state laws violate state constitutions.

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|2}}

  • {{cite book|last1=Abraham|first1=Henry Julian|title=Justices, Presidents, and Senators: A History of the U.S. Supreme Court Appointments from Washington to Bush II|date=2008|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780742558953}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Bird |first1=Wendell |title=Press and Speech Under Assault: The Early Supreme Court Justices, the Sedition Act of 1798, and the Campaign against Dissent |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190461645}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Casto |first1=William R. |title=The Supreme Court in the Early Republic: The Chief Justiceships of John Jay and Oliver Ellsworth |date=2012 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=9781611171693}}
  • {{cite book |last=Cushman |first=Clare |title=The Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated Biographies, 1789–1995 |edition=2nd |publisher=(Supreme Court Historical Society, Congressional Quarterly Books) |year=2001 |isbn=1-56802-126-7}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last=Friedman |editor-first=Leon |editor2-last=Israel |editor2-first=Fred L. |title=The Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Major Opinions |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |year=1995 |isbn=0-7910-1377-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/justicesofunited0000unse }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Gerber |editor1-first=Scott Douglas |title=Seriatim: The Supreme Court Before John Marshall |date=1998 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814732519}}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Hall |editor1-first=Kermit L. |editor2-last=Ely |editor2-first=James W. Jr. |editor3-last=Grossman |editor3-first=Joel B. |title=The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=2nd |isbn=9780195176612}}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Hall |editor1-first=Kermit L. |editor2-last=Ely |editor2-first=James W. Jr. |title=The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0195379396}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Hall |first1=Timothy L. |title=Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary |date=2001 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=9781438108179}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Harrington |first1=Matthew P. |title=Jay and Ellsworth, the First Courts: Justices, Rulings and Legacy |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576078419}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Hoffer |first1=Peter Charles |last2=Hoffer |first2=WilliamJames Hull |last3=Hull |first3=N. E. H. |title=The Supreme Court: An Essential History |date=2018 |publisher=University Press of Kansas |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-7006-2681-6}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Irons |first1=Peter |title=A People's History of the Supreme Court: The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution |url=https://archive.org/details/peopleshistoryof00iron_0 |url-access=registration |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9781101503133 |edition=Revised}}
  • {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Fenton S. |author2=Goehlert, Robert U. |title=The U.S. Supreme Court: A Bibliography |publisher=Congressional Quarterly Books |year=1990 |isbn=0-87187-554-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/ussupremecourtbi0000mart }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Tomlins |editor1-first=Christopher |title=The United States Supreme Court: The Pursuit of Justice |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |date=2005 |isbn=978-0618329694 |url=https://archive.org/details/unitedstatessupr00toml }}
  • {{cite book |last1=Toth |first1=Michael C. |title=Founding Federalist: The Life of Oliver Ellsworth |date=2011 |publisher=ISI Books |isbn=9781935191162}}
  • {{cite book |last=Urofsky |first=Melvin I. |title=The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher=Garland Publishing |year=1994 |isbn=0-8153-1176-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/supremecourtjust00melv }}
  • {{cite book|title=Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815|last=Wood|first=Gordon S.|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2009|isbn=978-0-19-503914-6|series=Oxford History of the United States|url=https://archive.org/details/empireoflibertyh00wood}}

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{{SCOTUS Justices|chiefjustices}}

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Category:1790s in the United States

Category:United States Supreme Court history by court