The Jay Court

SCOTUS
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Judgeships
	Posts: 9
	Judges: 9
Judges
	Chief: John Roberts
	Active: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

The Jay Court lasted from 1789 to 1795, during the presidency of George Washington. John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George Washington and served from September 26, 1789, to June 29, 1795.^[1]

Associate justices

Tenure	Justice	Nominated By
09/26/1789 - 05/7/1791	John Rutledge	George Washington
09/29/1789 - 08/21/1798	James Wilson	George Washington
09/30/1789 - 10/25/1795	John Blair	George Washington
02/10/1790 - 10/20/1799	James Iredell	George Washington
09/27/1789 - 09/13/1810	William Cushing	George Washington
11/07/1791 - 01/16/1793	Thomas Johnson	George Washington
03/04/1793 - 09/09/1806	William Paterson	George Washington

Major cases

West v. Barnes: Details
Author: John Jay Vote Count: 5-0 Majority Justices: James Wilson, William Cushing, John Blair, John Rutledge

First Supreme Court Decision (1791)

This is the first case of oral arguments heard and decided by the Supreme Court. In 1763, William West had to mortgage his farm due to problems with a molasses deal with the Jenckes family. For twenty years, he paid on the mortgage. However, in 1785, he appealed to the state to set up a lottery to help him to pay the remainder of his mortgage. Because of West's service in the Revolutionary War, the State of Rhode Island agreed. During this period, West paid some of the debt in paper currency. However, the Jenckes family brought suit against him, arguing that the debt needed to be paid in gold or silver. West originally represented himself in court and lost. Upon taking it to the Supreme Court, he hired a lawyer but still lost the case due to a procedural issue; he had a writ of error issued by a lower court clerk when he needed it issued by a Supreme Court Clerk within ten days. On August 3, 1791, the Supreme Court made its decision, 5-0 in favor of Barnes. West eventually lost his farm and the procedures to obtain a writ of error were revised to allow circuit court clerks to issue them.^[2]

Chisholm v. Georgia: Details
Author: John Jay Vote Count: 4-1 Concurring Justices: John Jay, William Cushing, John Blair, James Wilson Dissenting Justice: James Iredell

Chisholm v. Georgia (1793)

When Georgia did not pay a South Carolinian businessman for the supplies the state purchased in 1777, the executor of the former businessman's estate, Alexander Chisholm, filed suit to receive the money. However, Georgia maintained its sovereignty as a state and argued that it was not under the jurisdiction of federal court. On February 5, 1793, the Supreme Court decided that the people of the United States were bound together by the federal, legislative, and judicial powers: Georgia was subject to federal laws and rulings. Sovereign powers could only be held by the citizens of the states. Furthermore, the case was subject to judicial review because the United States Constitution made clear that disputes between states and citizens of other states were subject to federal jurisdiction.^[3]

Glass v. Sloop Betsey: Details
Author: John Jay Vote Count: 5-0 Majority Justices: James Wilson, William Cushing, John Blair, and John Rutledge

Glass v. The Sloop Betsey (1794)

In 1794, President Washington declared neutrality in the war between France and Britain. Despite this designation, the French brought captured British ships to the United States ports. A Swedish-owned ship named the Betsey was holding American cargo and was captured by French privateers on the ship the Citizen Genet. The Betsey was then taken to Baltimore to determine its fate, along with the fate of its cargo. Alexander A. Glass, who owned some of the cargo, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland to retain his goods. However, the Maryland Court ruled that it could not hear the case. Upon appeal to the Supreme Court, the justices determined on February 18, 1794, that the Maryland court must hear the case, as every U.S. district court held all the powers of an admiralty court.^[4]^[5]

Georgia v. Brailsford (1794)

There was disagreement as to whether a man name Spalding had to pay his debt to the State of Georgia or to his original creditors.^[6] Despite the conflict at stake in this case, Chief Justice John Jay's decision in February of 1794 was historic because it helped to define the power of a jury. Jay determined that the job of the jury was to judge the facts and use the law to determine an opinion in a case. This ruling helped to establish jury nullification.^[2] After Jay's decision, the jury ruled in the case in favor of the defendants.^[6]

About the court

See also: Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.^[7]

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the United States Senate per Article II of the United States Constitution. As federal judges, the justices serve during "good behavior," which means that justices have tenure for life unless they are removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction.^[8]

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess.^[9]^[10] Breyer assumed senior status on June 30, 2022.^[11] Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to fill the vacancy by the Senate in a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022.^[12] Click here to read more.

The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress.

The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.^[8]

Number of seats on the Supreme Court over time

See also: History of the Supreme Court

Number of Justices	Set by	Change
Chief Justice + 5 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1789
Chief Justice + 4 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1801 (later repealed)	-1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Seventh Circuit Act of 1807	+2
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837	+2
Chief Justice + 9 Associate Justices	Tenth Circuit Act of 1863	+1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Judicial Circuits Act of 1866	-3
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1869	+2