Story, Joseph (1779–1845), American jurist, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was responsible for the idea that the decisions reached by the Court have supremacy over the highest court of any individual state.
Story was born in Marblehead, Mass., and educated at Harvard University. He began to practice law in Salem in 1801 and served in the Massachusetts state legislature during 1805–7. He became a leader of the Jeffersonian Republican party and in 1808–9 was a member of the U.S. Congress. Reelected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1810, he was speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1811.
At 32, Story was nominated by President James Madison to be associate justice of the Supreme Court, a position he held until his death. In 1829 he became professor of law at Harvard University and helped to establish the reputation of Harvard Law School. On the bench, Story worked closely with Chief Justice John Marshall. He did much to bring order out of the chaos of admiralty law and equity law. Of his many works the most valuable are Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (3 vol., 1833), The Conflict of Laws (1834), and Equity Jurisprudence (2 vol., 1835–36). In 1900 Story was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. what did we learn?
Story was born in Marblehead, Mass., and educated at Harvard University. He began to practice law in Salem in 1801 and served in the Massachusetts state legislature during 1805–7. He became a leader of the Jeffersonian Republican party and in 1808–9 was a member of the U.S. Congress. Reelected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1810, he was speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1811.
At 32, Story was nominated by President James Madison to be associate justice of the Supreme Court, a position he held until his death. In 1829 he became professor of law at Harvard University and helped to establish the reputation of Harvard Law School. On the bench, Story worked closely with Chief Justice John Marshall. He did much to bring order out of the chaos of admiralty law and equity law. Of his many works the most valuable are Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (3 vol., 1833), The Conflict of Laws (1834), and Equity Jurisprudence (2 vol., 1835–36). In 1900 Story was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. what did we learn?