Previously, Balladeer’s Blog examined the first six Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court when six was the full roster on that court. For subsequent Justices click HERE.
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE WILLIAM PATERSON
Served: March 11th, 1793 – September 9th, 1806 (Died)
Brethren on the Court: Chief Justices: John Jay, John Rutledge, Oliver Ellsworth and John Marshall. Associate Justices: William Cushing, James Wilson, John Blair, James Iredell, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washington, Alfred Moore and William Johnson.
Some Highlights: Paterson helped write the U.S. Constitution in 1787. This made him one of the very few Supreme Court Justices qualified to weigh in on the “original intent” of the framers.
While riding his Circuit, William presided over the trials of the people indicted for treason for participating in the Whiskey Rebellion. He wrote the Court’s decision in Penhall v Doane’s Administrators (1795), which ruled that America’s current federal courts had jurisdiction over Prize Cases, not any of the American courts which preceded the U.S. Constitution.
In Ware v Hylton (1796) he authored the opinion striking down a Virginia Law regarding pre-Revolutionary War debts owed by private citizens to English creditors. On circuit he espoused Judicial Review in Van Horne’s Lessee v Dorrance (1795).
In Hylton v United States (1796) he was part of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that a tax on carriages was not a Direct Tax and was therefore constitutional. He was part of a unanimous Court again in Calder v Bull (1798), which ruled that Ex Post Facto concepts applied to criminal cases, not civil cases.
In Stuart v Laird (1803) Paterson wrote the Court’s majority opinion that repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801 was constitutional.
Comment: William Paterson also helped write the New Jersey State Constitution in 1776. He served in a New Jersey militia in 1775. As a Senator, he helped write the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the federal court system.
Balladeer's Blog 
This series has been very interesting. I have been reading quite a bit on the early American leaders, particularly those that wrote the Constitution. Currently reading about James Wilson. Of course, you have to take the biographer to write about the subject faithfully. Anyway, this is good stuff!
Thank you for saying so! I hope James Wilson’s biographer gives him better treatment than the mousey, wimpy version of him in the musical 1776. LOL
HA!
😀
Pingback: SUPREME COURT JUSTICE WILLIAM PATERSON – El Noticiero de Alvarez Galloso
Logged, thank you!
Good personality. Helped in the writing of the US constitution. Well shared 💐
Thanks very much!
☺️
😀 😀
😬😬
😀 😀 😀
Fascinating post. As someone that has always taken an interest in American law, I found this post about Supreme Court Justice William Paterson extremely engaging.
I appreciate that!
😱😱😱😱🧐🧐🙄🙄🤪🤪
Wow!