Massachusetts Chief Justice
In 1783, Cushing presided over a series of cases involving Quock Walker, a slave who claimed his freedom. In Commonwealth v. Jennison, Cushing, in his charge to the jury, stated, "Without resorting to implication in constructing the constitution, slavery is...as effectively abolished as it can be by the granting of rights and privileges wholly incompatible and repugnant to its existence." This has been taken to mean that slavery was incompatible with the state constitution ratified in 1779, and that slavery was therefore abolished in the state.
During Shays' Rebellion (1786-87), Cushing made sure that court sessions continued, despite the aggressive protests of the armed rebels, and later presided over their trials. A year later, in 1788, he served as vice president of the Massachusetts convention which narrowly ratified the United States Constitution.
Read more about this topic: William Cushing
Famous quotes containing the words chief and/or justice:
“To the excessively fearful the chief characteristic of power is its arbitrariness. Man had to gain enormously in confidence before he could conceive an all-powerful God who obeys his own laws.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“Man is, then, only disguise, falsehood, hypocrisy—both in himself and in regard to others. He does not wish any one to tell him the truth; he avoids telling it to others; and all these dispositions, so removed from justice and reason, have a natural root in his heart.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)