About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

31 Rutgers L.J. 345 (1999-2000)
Majority, Concurrence, and Dissent: Prigg v. Pennsylvania and the Structure of Supreme Court Decisionmaking

handle is hein.journals/rutlj31 and id is 367 raw text is: MAJORITY, CONCURRENCE, AND DISSENT: PRIGG v. PENNSYLVANIA AND THE STRUCTURE OF SUPREME COURT DECISIONMAKING Earl M, Maltz* I. INTRO DUCTIO N .................................................................................... 345 II. THE BACKGROUND OF PRIGG v. PENNSYLVANIA .................................. 347 III. THE RESPONSE OF THE JUSTICES ......................................................... 352 A . The Story G roup ........................................................................... 352 I. Joseph Story ............................................................................. 352 2. John M cK inley ........................................................................ 359 3. John C atron .............................................................................. 362 4. James Moore Wayne ............................................................... 364 B. Commitment to Distinctively Legal Principles ............................. 369 1. Sm ith Thom pson ...................................................................... 369 2. H enry B aldw in ......................................................................... 373 C . A nti-slavery ................................................................................... 381 1. John M cLean ........................................................................... 381 D . P ro-slavery ................................................................................... 386 1. Peter V . D aniel ........................................................................ 386 2. Roger Brooke Taney ................................................................ 392 IV . C O NCLUSIO N ....................................................................................... 397 I. INTRODUCTION Scholarly discussions of landmark decisions of the Supreme Court often focus primarily on majority opinions. In some respects, this focus is entirely understandable; after all, it is the majority opinion that establishes the rule of a case and thus typically has the greatest practical impact on both the evolution of legal doctrine and the development of the social, economic, and political system generally. At the same time, however, an undue emphasis on majority opinions can also lead to an overly simplistic view of the forces that influence the decisionmaking process of the Supreme Court. That process inevitably involves the interaction between nine quite different individuals, each of whom brings to bear a different combination of * Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers-Camden. 345

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most