Supreme Court, United States: Early Years to the Civil War

Early Years to the Civil War

The history of the Supreme Court reflects the development of the U.S. economy, the alteration of political views, and the evolution of the federal structure. In its earliest years, the court had little business to transact. Much of the justices' time was consumed in appearing on the federal courts of appeal in the judicial circuits assigned to them. This obligation of circuit riding was later to interfere seriously with the performance of the court's more important business. For the most part the full bench—sitting first in New York City, then in Philadelphia, finally in Washington—was a court of last resort in admiralty cases and in cases arising out of diversity of citizenship. The court somewhat later decided (in 1842 in Swift v. Tyson) that in diversity suits it would follow not state law but a presumed federal common law.

Sections in this article:

Introduction
The Current Court
The 1950s to the PresentThe 1950s and 1960s: Civil Liberties and Criminal Procedure
The Roosevelt Years
From the Civil War to the 1940s1937
The Court under Taney
The Court under Marshall
Early Years to the Civil War
Membership
Functions
Procedures
Scope and Jurisdiction
Bibliography

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