Description
18mo, [in three volumes], [4], 300pp; [5], 220pp; [5], 121-368pp. Size: 15cm x 9cm. Brown morocco, title in gilt over red morocco label on spine, decorative gilt bands. Original owners inscription on title page. Clean text. Toning to leaf ends. An important account of the Senate trial of Associate Justice Samuel Chase, who was accused of bias by Thomas Jefferson. He was impeached by the House of Representatives, but acquitted by the Senate. His trial established the independence of the federal judiciary and would establish an unofficial precedent that justices should not be impeached for their judicial performance. (Sabin 12209).
Comments: The impeachment proceedings of Samuel Chase established limits on the impeachment power of the Executive and Legislative Branch, while also defining the limits of judicial independence under the constitution. His acquittal likely saved the career of Chief Justice John Marshall, which was of great historical importance to the United States. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, in his book Grand Inquests, noted that while the senators who acquitted Chase did not agree with his judicial opinions, they believed that lifetime appoints should not be undermined by the judgments the justices make. In response to this trial, justices have been much more cautious in avoiding the appearance of political partisanship.
