The Jay Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States from 1789 to 1795, when John Jay served as the first Chief Justice of the United States . Jay served as Chief Justice until his resignation, at which point John Rutledge took office as a recess appointment . The Supreme Court was established in Article III of the United States Constitution , but the workings of the federal court system were largely laid out by the Judiciary Act of 1789 , which established a six-member Supreme Court, composed of one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices . As the first President, George Washington was responsible for appointing the entire Supreme Court. The act also created thirteen judicial districts, along with district courts and circuit courts for each district.
25-597: The Court held its inaugural session on February 2, 1790, at the Royal Exchange in New York City. However, with no cases on the docket and little pressing business, the term lasted for only eight days. It was not until August 1791 that the Court issued its first decision. That same year, the Court moved with the rest of the federal government to Philadelphia . The Court's business through its first three years primarily involved
50-810: A royal charter from King George III incorporating it as “the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New York in America.” At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War , the membership was divided into loyalist and patriot factions. Patriot members, including John Cruger , the first President of the Chamber, and William Malcolm left New York City after the British invasion of 1776 while their loyalist counterparts continued to hold meetings and transact business in
75-484: The 1st through 4th United States Congresses. The justices are depicted from left to right in order of their seniority, as determined by the date on their respective commissions as justices, in accordance with the Judiciary Act of 1789. While Justice Wilson was the first associate justice to take the oath of office, initially he was to be fourth in precedence among the associate justices. President Washington appointed
100-777: The Civil War , the Chamber gathered funds and wrote to the President , Congress , the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council regarding the defenses of the New York Harbor . Eventually, the State Legislature allocated one million dollars to the project and after inspection the Chamber deemed these defenses acceptable. The Chamber also commemorated significant events and in 1861 issued medals to
125-593: The Old Royal Exchange and the Merchants Exchange , was a covered marketplace located near the foot of Broad Street , near its intersection with Water Street . Originally a one-story building in 1675, it was rebuilt with a meeting hall on the upper story in 1752, typical of the type of market halls found in England and Europe at the time. The Chamber of Commerce in the City of New York ( Chamber of Commerce of
150-654: The Secretary of the Navy , Gideon Welles , encouraging him to take immediate action. A year later, on July 7, 1864, the Chamber records that the CSS Alabama was sunk by the sloop-of-war the USS ; Kearsarge . A committee was appointed to determine the manner in which the Chamber should express its appreciation to the crew of Kearsarge and twenty-five thousand dollars was raised and distributed among them. The Chamber merged into
175-667: The Chamber published an informational pamphlet on the Erie Canal 's merits. From 1827 to 1835, the Chamber was housed in the Merchants Exchange Building on Wall Street. That building was destroyed by the Great Fire of New York , on December 16, 1835. During the fire the Chamber's portraits of Alexander Hamilton and Cadwallader Colden were covered with canvas and stored in an attic on Wall Street, where they remained until they were discovered by Prosper Wetmore , Secretary of
200-526: The Chamber, in 1843. The remaining portraits, books and the Chamber's seal were saved from the fire. There is no record of the original charter's fate and it is believed that the charter perished in the fire. The destruction of the Merchants Exchange Building forced the Chamber to relocate once more, this time to the Merchants Bank , also on Wall Street. Throughout this period the Chamber
225-525: The Senate, with Wilson being the first to take the prescribed oaths of office—on October 5, 1789—and to be fully vested as a member of the Supreme Court. Then, after Harrison declined the appointment, Washington appointed James Iredell in 1790. Rutledge resigned in 1791 and was replaced by Thomas Johnson , who resigned in 1793. Johnson was replaced by William Paterson . The justices represented every region of
250-573: The State of New York after 1784) met in the building's second-floor meeting area from 1770 until the Revolutionary War . In 1785, when New York City became the nation's capital , the New York State Legislature began meeting in the building; the Congress of the Confederation had started meeting in the legislature's previous location – which became known as Federal Hall . On November 3, 1789,
275-515: The building February 2–10, 1790. Before the court convened, city officials moved the market's butchers and placed chains across the street so as to spare the court "interruption from the noise of carts." A second session was held in August 1790. The court met in New York for a total of twelve days before it moved to Philadelphia with the rest of the federal government in 1791. The Royal Exchange building
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#1733084917340300-522: The building leased from Samuel Fraunces now known as Fraunces Tavern , to form a mercantile union. Organized under the name the New York Chamber of Commerce, the society was designed to protect and promote the business interests of merchants in New York City . Following its relocation to the Royal Exchange on lower Broad Street in 1770, the Chamber petitioned Lt. Governor Colden and was granted
325-592: The city. After the British evacuation from New York in 1783, the Chamber's returning patriot members quickly established control over the Chamber and relocated to the Merchants’ Coffee House on Wall and Water Streets. In 1784, the Chamber was issued a new charter reincorporating it as “the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York,” and over the next few years the Chamber put numerous bills before Congress concerning mercantile issues and
350-440: The country, as Washington emphasized geographical balance in making his appointments. The Jay Court ended in 1795, when Jay resigned to become Governor of New York . Jay was replaced via recess appointment by John Rutledge , though Rutledge was denied confirmation by the Senate. Oliver Ellsworth became the third Chief Justice in 1796. The President during this court was George Washington . Congresses during this court included
375-459: The defenders of Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens for their bravery during April and May of that year. Over the course of 1862 and 1863, the Chamber condemned the acts of the CSS Alabama and the CSS Florida , sloops-of-war known for capturing and burning Union merchant and naval ships. The Chamber estimated the losses suffered from the CSS Alabama at twelve million dollars and wrote to
400-566: The establishment of rules and procedure; reading of commissions and admission of attorneys to the bar; and the Justices' duties in circuit riding , to preside over cases in the circuit courts of the various federal judicial districts. It heard only four cases during Jay's chief justiceship. During his tenure, Jay established an early precedent for the Court's independence in 1790, when Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton wrote to him requesting an advisory opinion on proposed legislation supported by
425-551: The federal court for the District of New York (later the Southern District of New York ) sat in the building, the first federal court to sit under the new Constitution . The first District Court Judge was James Duane . The court's earliest business in the building included admitting local lawyers to the bar, including Aaron Burr . The court moved to Federal Hall in 1791. The U.S. Supreme Court held its inaugural session in
450-491: The first Atlantic cable . In 1858, the Chamber released its first annual report which outlined the condition of mercantile affairs and important changes in business markets connected to the general trade of the country. By this time the Chamber had outgrown its current location and decided that the Underwriters' building on William and Cedar Streets would provide more space for the growing library and membership. Throughout
475-514: The fortification of the New York Harbor . It is during this period that the first mention of the Erie Canal is found. In 1793, the Chamber again relocated; this time to the Tontine Association across the street from the Merchants’ Coffee House. The Chamber was an advocate of the Jay Treaty in 1795 and encouraged other mercantile bodies throughout the country to support it as well. After
500-749: The initial justices of the Jay Court in the following order: The Jay Court did not issue many major rulings, but Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) stands as the first important ruling of the Supreme Court. The court held that the state of Georgia could be sued in federal court, establishing an important precedent that the states of the union do not constitute fully sovereign states . However, the Eleventh Amendment , ratified in 1795, granted states sovereign immunity from suits in federal court by citizens of another state. Royal Exchange (New York) The Royal Exchange building in New York City , later known as
525-534: The president. Jay replied that the Court's business was restricted to ruling on the constitutionality of cases being tried before it and refused to allow it to take a position either for or against the legislation. This established a precedent that the Court only hears cases and controversies . In September 1789, Washington nominated John Jay as the first Chief Justice and nominated John Rutledge , William Cushing , James Wilson , John Blair Jr. , and Robert Harrison as Associate Justices. All were quickly confirmed by
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#1733084917340550-690: The realization of several key initiatives in the region – including the Erie Canal , the Atlantic cable , and the New York City Transit Authority . The Chamber of Commerce survives today as the Partnership for New York City , which was formed from the 2002 merger of the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the New York City Partnership. On April 5, 1768, a group of twenty New York merchants met at Bolton and Sigel's Tavern, in
575-461: The turn of the century member participation dropped steadily and by 1806 meetings were suspended due to lack of attendance. In 1817, the President, Cornelius Ray, called for resumption of Chamber business. New officers were elected and the membership base was increased by 36 during the first meeting. Over the following years interest in the proposed Erie Canal increased and in response to concerns,
600-413: Was consumed by administrative concerns and the elected officers authorized the hire of an official clerk and librarian to assist the elected Secretary in overseeing the day-to-day functions of the Chamber. The Chamber's membership reached two hundred and five in 1849, and the Chamber became increasingly involved in trade and commerce concerns at the national and international levels, including completion of
625-501: Was demolished in 1799. Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York The New York Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants. As the first such commercial organization in the United States , it attracted the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, including John Jacob Astor , Peter Cooper , and J. Pierpont Morgan . The chamber's members were instrumental in
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