Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor James Oldham

J.D. Seminar 1067 | 3 credit hours

This seminar emphasizes the development of the common law during the 18th Century--the age of Blackstone and his Commentaries. This was an era of rapid growth in the law, and English procedures and precedents were the foundation upon which much of the law of the early American republic was built. A central focus is on the role of Lord Mansfield as Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench in creating a modern approach to doctrine and practice. Mansfield was a strong influence on leading American jurists and scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Joseph Story and Karl Llewellyn. Also studied is the role of the jury in 18th-century English courts--a role that continues to govern the scope of the right to jury trial in the United States under the Seventh Amendment. Special juries will be discussed, including the jury de medietate linguae ("of the half tongue") and the jury of matrons. Attention is given to the problem of crime in the 18th century, to the conduct of the criminal trial, and to the early history of the law of evidence. Students examine and discuss original documentary evidence discovered by recent research. A substantial paper is expected.