Jones v. United States

Casey, Cb. J.,

dissenting :

Whether the claimants can ho witnesses in their own cases, in this court, is a question of great importance, as it meets us at the threshold of almost every case. The solution of it depends upon the interpretation and application of the legislation of Congress upon the subject. By the act of the 6th of July, 1862, (12 Stat., 588,) it was enacted : “ The laws of the States in which the court shall be held shall be the rules of decision as to the competency of witnesses in the courts of the United States in trials at common law, in equity, and admiralty.” This left the…