United States v. Greathouse
U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern California
On the fifteenth day of March, 1863, the schooner J. M. Chapman was seized in the harbor of San Francisco, by the United States revenue officers, while sailing, or about to sail, on a cruise in the service of the Confederate States, against the commerce of the United States; and the leaders of the expedition, consisting of Bidgeley Greathouse, Asbury Har-pending, Alfred Kubery, William C. Law, Lorenzo L. Libby, with several others, were indicted, under the act of congress of…
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On the fifteenth day of March, 1863, the schooner J. M. Chapman was seized in the harbor of San Francisco, by the United States revenue officers, while sailing, or about to sail, on a cruise in the service of the Confederate States, against the commerce of the United States; and the leaders of the expedition, consisting of Bidgeley Greathouse, Asbury Har-pending, Alfred Kubery, William C. Law, Lorenzo L. Libby, with several others, were indicted, under the act of congress of duly 17, 1862, for engaging in, and giving aid and comfort to, the then existing rebellion against the government of…
1Opinion of the CourtField, Circuit Justice
(charging jury). Before proceeding to give any instructions in this case, it may be proper to briefly call attention to your appropriate and only province in the determination of the issues presented. There prevails a very general, but, an erroneous opinion, that in all criminal cases the jury are the judges as well of the law as of the fact—that is, that they have a right to disregard the law as ‘laid down by the court, and to follow their own notions on the subject. Such is not the right of the jury. They have the power, it is true, to disregard the instructions of the court, and in case of…
2Cited by11 opinions
- Cramer v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1945
- State v. BurpeeSupreme Court of Vermont · 1892
- United States v. TaylorDistrict Court, D. Kansas · 1882
- United States v. RobinsonDistrict Court, S.D. New York · 1919
- United States v. The Ambrose LightDistrict Court, S.D. New York · 1885
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