President Thomas Jefferson V. Chief Justice John Marshall by Amanda
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A Thesis Entitled Struggle to Define the Power of the Court: President Thomas Jefferson v. Chief Justice John Marshall By Amanda Dennison Submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for The Master of Arts in History ________________________ Advisor: Diane Britton ________________________ Graduate School The University of Toledo August 2005 Copyright © 2005 This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. Acknowledgments Finishing this step of my academic career would not have been possible without the support from my mentors, family, and friends. My professors at the University of Toledo have supported me over the past three years and I thank them for their inspiration. I especially thank Professors Alfred Cave, Diane Britton, Ronald Lora, and Charles Glaab for reading my work, making corrections, and serving as advisors on my thesis committee. I am eternally grateful to the University of Toledo History Department for their financial and moral support. When I came to the University of Toledo, I would not have survived my first graduate seminar, let alone long enough to finish this project without the experience from my undergraduate career at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. I thank Professors Laura Endicott and John Hayden for their constant support, reading drafts, and offering suggestions and Professors Roger Bromert and David Hertzel for encouraging me via email and on my visits back to Southwestern. Ya’ll are the best. I have a wonderful support system from my family and friends, especially my parents and brother. Thank you Mom and Dad for your encouragement and love. And thank you Russ for your love and advice. I have been blessed with another support system up north. Rob MacDonald, you are my rock, thank you for selflessly editing my work and keeping me sane. Thank you to the MacDonald family for being my home away from home and to Layla Gordon for staying up with me on all the late nights. To my family and friends over the miles, this is for all of you. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments iii Table of Contents iv Introduction 1 I. Last Minute Shuffle: John Marshall's Appointment as Chief Justice 9 II. The Initial Encounter 37 III. Unraveling the Federalist Judiciary 53 IV. Courtroom Intoxication: Impeachment of Federal Judges 87 V. The Final Straw: Treason Defined 123 Conclusion 173 Bibliography 179 iv INTRODUCTION "Thomas Jefferson presents his compliments to General Marshall. He had the honor of calling at his lodgings twice this morning, but was so unlucky as to find ^ that he was out on both occasions. He wished to have expressed in person his regret that a pre-engagement for to-day which could not be dispensed with, would prevent him the satisfaction of dining in company with General Marshall, and therefore begs leave to place here the expressions of that respect which in company with his fellow citizens he bears him."1 Jefferson left this note for Marshall in Philadelphia after the latter's return from France where he served as an envoy in the XYZ Affair. Evidently, Jefferson made a mistake and first wrote that he was "so lucky" to have missed Marshall, but then corrected it by inserting "un." Marshall later referred to the note as the only time Jefferson came close to telling the truth.2 Marshall witnessed revolutionary France, which shaped his philosophy of government contrary to Jefferson's admiration for the French revolutionary ideals. Government ideology was one of the conflicts of interest between Marshall and Jefferson, but political differences have always existed between people. What makes the Jefferson/Marshall differences unique is the influence that their politics had on the judiciary system then and now. As evidenced by the aforementioned story, they had developed a sort of rivalry that was accelerated and publicized after Marshall's 1 Jefferson to Marshall, 23 June 1798, quoted in Nathan Schachner, Thomas Jefferson: A Biography, vol. 2 (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1951), 605-606. 2 Schachner, 606. 1 appointment as chief justice in January 1801, and Jefferson's inauguration in March of the same year. The sources used to elucidate the argument are letters, documents, and other historians' perspectives. Both Marshall and Jefferson's personal papers have been published, however, the latter's far outnumber the former's, which has posed a problem providing balance to their insights on events. Secondary sources have been used to show how Marshall has been portrayed, which has perpetuated the romanticism of the Marshall Court. The point is to show that the changes Marshall made were not smoothly implemented into the judiciary. Jefferson fought any alteration that would give the judiciary independence or strength. This thesis will examine four events that shaped the court and the executive's power between 1801 to 1807. The first three, the Marbury v. Madison decision, the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801, and the Impeachment of Federalist judges, occurred within the first few years and show how the power struggle evolved into the final showdown of the Aaron Burr treason trial. The Burr trial was an arena where the president and the chief justice faced off in a highly publicized trial that dealt with the most serious of crimes allegedly performed by the former vice president. The first chapter, "Last Minute Shuffle," examines the early history of the court and Marshall's appointment. At the time, the American government was in a developmental stage and President George Washington served as the model for the executive branch. The judiciary, however, was not an equal branch and was disregarded by the citizens and even the men who served on the Court. John Jay was appointed the first chief justice but retired to run as governor of the state of New 2 York. John Rutledge, a recess appointment whom the Senate never confirmed, succeeded him, and Oliver Ellsworth, the third chief justice and diplomat, resigned for health reasons. The chief justiceship was not a desirable position since the Court performed time-consuming circuit duties and few significant cases were appealed to the Supreme Court. When Ellsworth resigned, Adams knew he could either promote an associate justice or appoint someone outside of the Court, but he carefully, quickly, contemplated because he did not want the incoming Republican party to have the opportunity to make an appointment. Justice William Cushing of Massachusetts had seniority, followed by Justice William Paterson of New Jersey. Adams hesitated at promoting Cushing because illness often prevented his attendance which might lead to his resignation during the Jefferson administration, therefore guaranteeing a Republican chief justice. The President explored options outside of the Court, but there were too many complications to insure a Federalist chief justice. Marshall's appointment as chief justice was one of judgeships President Adams appointed before he left office in March, 1801. When Jefferson took the presidential oath of office from Secretary of State/Chief Justice John Marshall on March 4, 1801, he was prepared to fight the judiciary at all costs. Jefferson disagreed with a strong judicial branch because the Court may override the Constitution and infringe on states’ rights; he said “the spirit of Marshallism” must be eliminated. Chapter two examines one of Jefferson’s attempts 3 to “humble the court.”3 The new president refused to deliver commissions to justices of the peace whom Adams had appointed and were approved by Secretary of State Marshall, but not delivered to the appointees. William Marbury demanded his commission, Secretary of State James Madison refused, and the case went to the Supreme Court. In what has been deemed a case of historic legal importance, the Marbury v. Madison decision was a powerful display of judicial power that tested the doctrine of judicial review. The precedent of judicial review had long-lasting effects and has been the focus of numerous studies, however, judicial review was not the main issue at the time. Marbury v. Madison was the first instance where Marshall and Jefferson flexed their muscles as chief justice and president. Jefferson was not pleased with the decision and he expressed his disproval throughout the rest of his life. For example, on June 12, 1823, he reminded Justice William Johnson of Marshall's practice of "traveling out of his case to prescribe what the law would be in a moot case not before the court."4 The Marbury v. Madison case was introduced in the Supreme Court in 1801, but was not decided until 1803 because Jefferson and the Republicans abolished the Court for fourteen months. Chapter three examines how the Federalists, during a lame-duck session, passed an act that replaced the Judiciary Act of 1789. Signed on February 13, 1801, the Federalists attempted to maintain power in at least one government branch before the Republicans took over in March. It abolished the 3 R. Kent Newmyer, John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001), 148. 4 Jefferson to Johnson, 12 June 1823, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 15, ed. Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh (Washington D.C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), 447. 4 Supreme Court justices’ tradition of riding circuit, a task that was burdensome and problematic since Supreme Court justices could hear a case in the circuit court and if appealed, hear it again in the high court. The act created more districts to accommodate westward expansion and circuit court judges and district judges to hear district cases. The Federalists changed the number of Supreme Court justices from six to five, claiming that the Court would appear unified without possible tied decisions.