Federal Farmer: Will the Judiciary Preserve or Destroy Liberty?
While many anti-federalists, including Patrick Henry, regarded the judicial branch of the federal government under the proposed U.S. Constitution with deep suspicion, the Federal Farmer took a more moderate, albeit guarded stance. In his fifteenth letter dated Jan....
Patrick Henry: Jury Trials Are the “Last and Best Privilege”
During the Virginia ratifying convention on June 20, 1789, Patrick Henry warned that the power bestowed to the Supreme Court would undermine the right to trial by jury. Henry was a strong opponent of ratification throughout the convention. He was deeply wary of the...
Today in History: Judiciary Act of 1789 Signed into Law
On this date in 1789, George Washington signed the Judiciary Act into law. This was arguably the first federal exercise of unconstitutional power. Article III of the Constitution delegated judicial power to the Supreme Court and empowered Congress to “ordain and...