Today in Supreme Court History: January 14, 1780

1/14/1780: Justice Henry Baldwin's birthday.

Justice Henry Baldwin

 

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[JoeFromtheBronx]

He joined the Supreme Court a few days after his fiftieth birthday so we can have another entry about him in a few days.

He studied law with Alexander Dallas, known as the first reporter of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Baldwin had health problems (his colleague Joseph Story felt he was "partially deranged at all times") during his tenure. Baldwin, like Story, wrote a treatise on the Constitution. It is less famous.

Baldwin is one of the largely forgotten justices regularly featured in this entry. They add some flavor to the Court.

Meanwhile, with little dissent (though five justices didn't join a short passage on legislative history), three opinions were handed down today. There was a split in one on the reasoning and multiple separate writings overall. No tariff opinion.