This is a group biography of Kentucky’s earliest law reporters, the individuals who collected and published the early opinions of Kentucky’s highest court from 1803 to 1878. Kentucky’s law reports were used and cited throughout the nation; they ranked among the best available and helped in the development of a uniquely American common law. The early law reporters were leading members of Kentucky’s bench and bar and an active part of its political class. They included former and future high court judges, legal scholars, US senators and representatives, and a secretary of the treasury. Collectiv ... More

This is a group biography of Kentucky’s earliest law reporters, the individuals who collected and published the early opinions of Kentucky’s highest court from 1803 to 1878. Kentucky’s law reports were used and cited throughout the nation; they ranked among the best available and helped in the development of a uniquely American common law. The early law reporters were leading members of Kentucky’s bench and bar and an active part of its political class. They included former and future high court judges, legal scholars, US senators and representatives, and a secretary of the treasury. Collectively, their life’s work touched on many of the important, formational struggles of the time: slavery and civil war, economic crisis, and establishment of the Democratic and Whig Parties. Despite their prominence, only a few of these men have received serious biographical treatment. Embodied in the stories of these early reporters, and in this work, is the essence of Kentucky’s rich history, its legal beginnings, and the establishment of a legal print culture in America.