Supreme Court

The First Supreme Court Was Not Like Today's Supreme Court

What was the highest court in the land like in its infancy?

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Ed. note: Welcome to our latest daily feature, a legal trivia question of the day. We know you lawyerly types are, at heart, type-A personalities that thrive on learning random bits of (mostly) useless trivia. Enjoy!

How many cases did the Supreme Court decide in its first term?

Hint: The year was 1790 and the Court was meeting in New York City, in the Exchange Building. The processes and traditions for the Court were still being negotiated — there were 6 justices and there was still some question about whether they’d wear the wigs found in the English style courts.

Highlight the below text with your mouse for the answer.

Answer: Zero. Limited by cases arising under the Constitution and the then-barely existent body of federal laws, they had no cases on the original docket. The first case didn’t reach the Court until its second year.

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