William Scott (Missouri judge)
American judge / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Scott (June 7, 1804 – 1862) was an American lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1841 to 1849 and from 1851 to 1862.[1][2] He also served on the Jefferson City Circuit Court.[3] Justice Scott was the author of the majority opinion in Scott v. Emerson, 15 Missouri 572 (1852), which was part of the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. Scott's opinion, which overturned well-established precedent in Missouri, set the stage for Dred Scott's case in the Supreme Court.[4][5] He wrote:
Times are not now as they were when the former decisions on this subject were made. Since then not only individuals but States have been possessed with a dark and fell spirit in relation to slavery, whose gratification is sought in the pursuit of measures, whose inevitable consequences must be the overthrow and destruction of our government. Under such circumstances it does not behoove the State of Missouri to show the least countenance to any measure which might gratify this spirit. She is willing to assume her full responsibility for the existence of slavery within her limits, nor does she seek to share or divide it with others.[6]
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