Iredell, James

Iredell, James (īr`dĕl), 1751–99, American jurist, b. Lewes, England. He emigrated (1767) to North Carolina, where he entered the customs service at Edenton and was made (1774) collector for the port. He was admitted to the bar in 1771, and after the outbreak of the American Revolution he helped to organize the North Carolina court system. He became (1777) a judge and later (1779–81) was attorney general. His strong support of the proposed U.S. Constitution helped procure its adoption by North Carolina. In 1790, Iredell was made an associate justice of the newly established U.S. Supreme Court. Among his notable opinions was his dissent in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) when the majority holding was that a state might be sued in the federal courts without its consent. The Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (adopted 1798) made that view the law of the land.

Bibliography

See biography by G. J. McRee (1857, repr. 1949).

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Iredell, James

(born Oct. 5, 1751, Lewes, Sussex, Eng.—died Oct. 20, 1799, Edenton, N.C., U.S.) U.S. jurist. His family immigrated to North Carolina, where he was appointed comptroller of the customhouse at age 17. He helped draft and revise the laws of the new state of North Carolina and served as state attorney general (1779–81). He led the state's Federalists in supporting ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and his letters in its defense (signed “Marcus”) are said to have prompted Pres. George Washington to appoint him to the U.S. Supreme Court (1790). He wrote several notable dissents, including those for Chisholm v. Georgia (1793; affirming the subordination of the states to the federal government) and Ware v. Hylton (1796; upholding the primacy of U.S. treaties over state statutes). His opinion in Calder v. Bull (1798) helped establish the principle of judicial review five years before it was actually tested in Marbury v. Madison.

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Iredell, James (1751–99) Supreme Court justice; born in Lewes, England. He emigrated to North Carolina at age 17 and became active in the revolution against England. He served as a North Carolina judge (1777–78) and as state attorney general (1779–81). At age 38, he was the youngest of the original six U.S. Supreme Court justices when chosen by President Washington, serving from 1790–99.