William Cranch

Judge Cranch, towards the end of his life.

William Cranch (July 17, 1769 – September 1, 1855) was an American judge and the second reporter of decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early life

Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, he was a nephew of Abigail Adams. His father was Richard Cranch, an English-born clockmaker and Massachusetts legislator and his mother was Mary Smith, the elder sister of Abigail Smith Adams, wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States. William Cranch graduated from Harvard College with honors in 1787 and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1790. From 1791 to 1800, Cranch worked as a legal agent for a real estate firm in Washington.

Circuit Judge and Supreme Court Reporter

When land speculation bankrupted him, his uncle John Adams rescued him by appointing him to be Inspector of Public Buildings in 1800 and then in 1801 to be judge of the District of Columbia circuit court, where he served until his death. Cranch, like William Marbury, was one of the "Midnight Judges" appointed under the Judiciary Act of 1801 that led to the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison. The nomination was put forth on February 28, 1801, and Cranch was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 3, 1801, receiving his commission the same day.

On February 21, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson elevated Cranch to Chief Judge, that seat having been vacated by William Kilty. Cranch's elevation was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 24, 1806. In this role he swore in two Presidents of the United States, John Tyler and Millard Fillmore, each of whom assumed the presidency upon the death of his predecessor.

While serving as a Circuit judge, Cranch also served as the second reporter of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1815. At the time, the reporter was an unofficial post and he used his own funds to produce the reports. Cranch took on the responsibility because of his respect for precedent. He was slow in producing his reports of cases and their accuracy was questioned.

During his tenure on the court, Cranch published a biography about Adams.

Societies

During the 1820s, Cranch was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.

Notable decisions

Cranch is also known for several decisions that set a precedent for jury nullification (allowing a jury to nullify an "unjust" law and refuse to convict), including:

• United States v. Fenwick, 25 F. Cas. 1062; 4 Cranch C.C. 675 (1836): Right to make legal argument to jury.
• Stettinius v. United States, 22 F. Cas. 1322; 5 Cranch C.C. 573 (1839): Right to make legal argument to jury.

Cranch also handed down important precedent in a variety of topics, for example in a criminal law case regarding the mens rea of intoxication, Cranch wrote:

“

It often happens that the prisoner seeks to palliate his crime by the pleas of intoxication; as if the voluntary abandonment of reason...were not, of itself, an offense sufficient to make him responsible for all of its consequences.

”

Cranch died in Washington, D.C., aged 86.

Family

William Cranch's daughter Abigail Adams Cranch married William Greenleaf Eliot. William Eliot and Abigail Cranch were the parents of Henry Ware Eliot and the grandparents of T. S. Eliot.

Notes

• William Cranch at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• White, Edward G. 1988. The Marshall Court and Cultural Change, 1815–1835. Vols. 3 and 4, History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1815–1835. New York: Macmillan.
• Witt, Elder. 1990. Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly

Legal offices
Preceded by Alexander J. Dallas	Supreme Court of the United States Reporter of Decisions 1801 – 1815	Succeeded by Henry Wheaton