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The Papers of John Marshall: Volume VII

Correspondence, Papers, and Selected Judicial Opinions April 1807 — December 1813

Charles F. Hobson, Editor
Suzanne E. Coffman, Assistant Editor
Mark A. Mastromarino, Assistant Editor
Laura S. Gwilliam, Editorial Assistant

Published in 1993 by the University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0-8078-2074-1

Volume VII carries the documentary record of Marshall's years as chief justi ce of the United States from early 1807 to the end of 1813. The volume consists primarily of judicial opinions given in the Supreme Court and in the U.S. Circuit Courts for Virginia and North Carolina. In 1807, Marshall presided at the extraordinary trial of Aaron Burr, charged with treason in levying war against the United States. The Burr trial was an onerous judicial duty made more unpleasant by the unavoidable political dimensions of the case. Despite the uproar caused by Burr's acquittal, the federal judiciary not only survived intact but during the next five years consolidated its independence and expanded its powers.

Among the principal documents in Volume VII is a report Marshall wrote in 1812 as chairman of a state commission to survey a water and land route connecting the eastern and western regions of Virginia. This report laid the foundation for Virginia's program of internal improvements undertaken after the War of 1812. Among the opinions published in Volume VII are Fletcher v. Peck and United States v. Peters.