Robert Morris (1745 – June 2, 1815) was chief justice of the

Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to th ...

, the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New Jersey The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as th ...

and the

United States District Court for the Western District of New Jersey The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as th ...

Education and career

Born in 1745, in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after ...

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 1 ...

, Morris

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under th ...

in 1770. He entered private practice in New Brunswick from 1770 to 1776. On September 6, 1776, by Joint Meeting of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and th ...

, Morris was appointed

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases ...

, the office once held by his father. On November 6, 1778 Morris resigned as Bergen County Clerk. He continued to serve as Chief Justice until his resignation from that office on May 25, 1779.''Minutes and Proceedings of the Council and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey in Joint-Meeting from August 30, 1776 to May 1780''; Isaac Collins, Printer to the State; Trenton, 1780; p 30 He resumed private practice in New Brunswick from 1779 to 1790.

Federal judicial service

Morris received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President George Washington on August 28, 1790, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge David Brearley. He was nominated to the same position by President Washington on December 17, 1790. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

on December 20, 1790, and received his commission the same day. Morris was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

and the

on February 13, 1801, to a new joint seat authorized by . Morris was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on July 1, 1802, to a new seat authorized by . His service terminated on June 2, 1815, due to his death in New Brunswick.

Family

Morris was the son of New Jersey Chief Justice

Robert Hunter Morris Robert Hunter Morris ( – 27 January 1764), was a prominent governmental figure in Colonial Pennsylvania, serving as governor of Pennsylvania and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Early life and education Morris was born in ...

and grandson of former Governor

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Robert 1745 births 1815 deaths Morris family (Morrisania and New Jersey) Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey United States federal judges appointed by George Washington 18th-century American judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law