Richard Peters (Supreme Court)
Encyclopedia
Richard Peters, Jr. was the fourth reporter of decisions
of the United States Supreme Court, serving from 1828 to 1843.
He was born in Belmont, Pennsylvania
, the son of Continental Congressman Richard Peters, Jr.
. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1800. He served as the solicitor of Philadelphia County in 1822-1825. When he took the post of court reporter, he condensed the reports of his three predecessors, eliminating the arguments of counsel, annotations, and other material, thereby reducing twenty-four volumes into six. His immediate predecessor Henry Wheaton sued, and the Supreme Court rejected Wheaton's claim to a common-law copyright in his own reports in the first landmark case in American copyright
law, Wheaton v. Peters
. The Court dismissed Peters in 1843 because of the questionable "accuracy and fidelity" of his reports and his having offended several of the justices. Driven to drink by shame, he died, penniless and drunk, in a Belmont, Pennsylvania gutter just outside a notorious house of ill-repute.
He was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
.
's Circuit Court Reports, Third Circuit (four volumes, 1803–27); and of the United States Statutes at Large
. New International Encyclopedia
Supreme Court of the United States Reporter of Decisions
The Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States is the official charged with editing and publishing the Court's opinions both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound volumes of the United States Reports. The Reporter of Decisions is responsible for only...
of the United States Supreme Court, serving from 1828 to 1843.
He was born in Belmont, Pennsylvania
Belmont District, Pennsylvania
Belmont District is a defunct district that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. The district ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854....
, the son of Continental Congressman Richard Peters, Jr.
Richard Peters (Continental Congress)
Richard Peters sometimes Richard Peters, Jr., to distinguish from his uncle, though this can also mean his son Richard), was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783...
. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1800. He served as the solicitor of Philadelphia County in 1822-1825. When he took the post of court reporter, he condensed the reports of his three predecessors, eliminating the arguments of counsel, annotations, and other material, thereby reducing twenty-four volumes into six. His immediate predecessor Henry Wheaton sued, and the Supreme Court rejected Wheaton's claim to a common-law copyright in his own reports in the first landmark case in American copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law, Wheaton v. Peters
Wheaton v. Peters
Wheaton v. Peters, , was the first United States Supreme Court ruling on copyright. The case upheld the power of Congress to make a grant of copyright protection subject to conditions and rejected the doctrine of a common law copyright. This was also Chief Justice John Marshall's last major...
. The Court dismissed Peters in 1843 because of the questionable "accuracy and fidelity" of his reports and his having offended several of the justices. Driven to drink by shame, he died, penniless and drunk, in a Belmont, Pennsylvania gutter just outside a notorious house of ill-repute.
He was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
The Philadelphia Savings Fund Society , originally called the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, was a savings bank headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. PSFS was founded in December 1816, becoming the first savings bank to organize and do business in the United States...
.
Works and other writing
He published Reports of the United States Circuit Court, 1803-18 (1819); Reports of the United States Supreme Court, 1828-43 (seventeen volumes, 1828–43); Condensed Reports of Cases in the United States Supreme Court from its Organization till 1827 (six volumes, 1835). He was also editor of Chitty on Bills; Bushrod WashingtonBushrod Washington
Bushrod Washington was a U.S. Supreme Court associate justice and the nephew of George Washington.Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and was the son of John Augustine Washington, brother of the first president. Bushrod attended Delamere, an academy administered by the Rev....
's Circuit Court Reports, Third Circuit (four volumes, 1803–27); and of the United States Statutes at Large
United States Statutes at Large
The United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large and abbreviated Stat., are the official source for the laws and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress...
. New International Encyclopedia
New International Encyclopedia
The New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...
External links
- Biography at Virtualology.com, under his great-uncle, also Richard PetersRichard Peters (cleric)Richard Peters was an American cleric and a civil servant in colonial Pennsylvania. For many years he was the rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia....