Cranch, William:

$22,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

REPORTS OF CASES ARGUED AND ADJUDGED IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. A very important set of reports of early Supreme Court cases, here present in first editions throughout and inscribed by Maine's first Chief Justice, Prentiss Mellen. Because of its publication over a period of fourteen years in three different cities with three different printers, complete sets of Cranch's Supreme Court REPORTS are extremely scarce.The REPORTS give accounts of cases before the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1815, during which time Cranch was reporter of the Court. According to the DAB, "These reports have always been highly regarded for their clarity and accuracy, and are of great importance since they contain a large number of Chief Justice Marshall's most vital opinions on fundamental constitutional problems." These include Marbury v. Madison, reported in the first volume, and about 350 cases in total.The reports begin with John Marshall's first term as Chief Justice, and continue through 1815, covering just under one half of Marshall's tenure in charge of the Supreme Court, and therefore contain accounts of many cases fundamental to the power of the court and the manner in which it interpreted the Constitution. The most famous of these is Marbury v. Madison, decided in 1803, in which the court ruled that it could not order James Madison as Secretary of State to deliver a commission to William Marbury, invalidating part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, and thereby creating the concept

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