Justice William Paterson
Today’s Justice of the Day is: WILLIAM PATERSON. Justice Paterson was born on this day, December 24, in 1745.
Justice Paterson was born in County Antrim, Ireland (he is one of six Members of the SCUS who were born overseas), located in the northeast coastal part of that country, and at the age of two immigrated with his family to New Jersey, the state from which he would be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (today called Princeton University) in 1763, before earning an M.A. there in 1766.
Justice Paterson worked in private practice in New Bromley, New Jersey from 1769 to 1772, and then in Princeton and Somerset County, New Jersey from 1772 to 1776, the year he became a Delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention and began a year-long term as a Member of the New Jersey Legislative Council; during this time, he also served as Assistant Secretary (in 1775) and Secretary (in 1776) of the New Jersey Provincial Congress, and started serving as Attorney General of the State of New Jersey (a position he would hold from 1776 to 1783). In 1777, he fought in the American Revolutionary War as a Minutemen Officer of the Somerset County Battalion, and was a Member of the New Jersey Council of Safety. Justice Paterson returned to private practice in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1783, working there until he took office as a United States Senator from his home state in 1789; during this time, he also served as a Delegate to the Federal Constitutional Convention (in 1787). His term of service as a Senator only lasted one year, and ended when he became Governor and Chancellor of New Jersey, a position he would hold until his appointment to the SCUS.
Justice Paterson was initially nominated by President George Washington on February 27, 1793, but his name was withdrawn from consideration the following day. He was then nominated again by President Washington on March 4 to a seat vacated by Justice Thomas Johnson, and was confirmed by the United States Senate and received his commission that day. Justice Paterson took the Judicial Oath to officially join the SCUS on or around March 11, and served on the Jay, Ellsworth, and Marshall Courts. His service was terminated on September 9, 1806, due to his death.
Justice Paterson is not especially well-known today, though his years on the Marshall Court saw him help shape the scope of federal power, as in when he joined the unanimous opinion of the Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803), a decision which established the federal Constitution as supreme and first articulated the idea of judicial review.