Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Supreme Court of the...
Peters's U.S. Supreme Court Reports [Supreme Court, United States]. Peters, Richard [1779-1848], Reporter, Brightly, Frederick C. [1812-1888], Editor. Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: The Banks Law Publishing Company, 1903. Sixteen volumes. Complete (official) set. Octavo (8-1/2" x 5-1/2"). Uniformly bound in contemporary tan buckram, red and black lettering pieces to spines. Moderate shelfwear, light soiling, chipping to lettering pieces of a few volumes, light toning to interiors, owner stamps to front pastedowns. A well-preserved set. $750. * Later printing of these volumes, which were first issued from 1829 to 1842. Volume 16 contains the landmark decision of Prigg v. Pennsylvania. This great case, the precursor to Dred Scott, was an important milestone in fugitive slave law. Prigg, a professional slave catcher from Maryland, was indicted for kidnapping Margaret Morgan, a black woman, in York County, Pa., in order to sell her as a slave. In this case, Justice Story, writing for the Court, "held that the power to regulate the rendition of fugitive slaves was exclusively within the prerogative of Congress." The decision in Prigg ultimately became an antislavery weapon (Finkelman). Peters produced a 17th volume, but it is not considered part of the official reports. It was superseded by Volume 1 of Howard's Reports. The sixteen official volumes by Peters became Volumes 26-41 of United States Reports. Finkelman, Slavery in the Courtroom 60-61. Cohen and O'Conner, A Guide to the Early Reports of the Supreme Court of the United States 147, 167.
Price: $750.00
Book number 74310