West v. Barnes
Case Date: 11/25/1791
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West v. Barnes, 2 U.S. 401 (1791), was the first United States Supreme Court decision and the earliest case calling for oral argument.[1][2] Van Staphorst v. Maryland (1791) was docketed prior to West v. Barnes but settled before the Court heard the case: West was argued on August 2, 1791 and decided on August 3, 1791. Collet v. Collet (1791) was the first appellate case docketed with the Court but was dropped before it could be heard.[3]
The Court ultimately decided the case on procedural grounds, holding that a writ of error (appeal) must be issued within ten days by the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States as required by Federal statute, and not by a lower court located closer to the plaintiff in Rhode Island. As a result of this case, Congress ultimately changed this procedure with the ninth section of the Judicial Act of 1792 allowing circuit courts to issue these writs, thereby assisting citizens living far away from the capitol.[4]
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