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DICK, John. Letter to General Richard Rush of inability to locate Written Opinion. New Orleans: 1815. SIGNED.
1 vol., Autograph Letter Signed (7 3/4" x 9 1/2"), 4 pp. Single sheet of paper folded to form four pages, with text covering all sides. Good Condition. The paper exhibits moderate age-toning and browning consistent with its New Orleans origin. There is wear and minor chipping along the edges and at the intersections of the folds, where it was previously folded into twelfths for transit. Small holes are present in the gutter of the main fold, though these do not result in any loss of legibility or content. Occasional minor soiling.
An illuminating administrative letter from John Dick, the United States Attorney for the District of Louisiana, to Richard Rush, the Attorney General of the United States, written just months after the conclusion of the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans. The correspondence highlights the procedural "embarrassment" and logistical difficulties faced by the fledgling U.S. Department of Justice (prior to its formal 1870 establishment) in managing appellate cases from distant territories. Dick apologizes for his inability to provide a formal written opinion from Judge Dominic Augustine Hall regarding the case of the Schooner L'Epine (M. Batigne, claimant). He notes that while Judge Hall often gave "his reasons at large," they were rarely included in the official record sent to Washington—a lack of standardization that hampered the Attorney General's ability to argue cases before the Supreme Court. The mention of Tully Robinson, the previous U.S. Attorney, further anchors the letter in the shifting legal landscape of early Louisiana. John Dick is perhaps best known for his subsequent legal clashes with Andrew Jackson and his efforts to maintain civil law in the wake of military rule in New Orleans. This letter serves as a primary source for the history of American federal legal procedure and the development of the Attorney General's oversight of regional districts.
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