The History Daily - An Entertaining Look Back www.historydaily.com By Trevor Smith and Charles Smith
September 24, 2004 on this day: In 1789 George Washington appointed John Jay as the first chief justice of the United States. The U.S. Constitution calls for a Supreme Court, but it is very vague in defining the court's make up or duties. By the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress provided for the federal court system. It was to consist of a Supreme Court made up of a chief justice and five associate justices. It also established thirteen district courts to review the decisions of state courts. John Jay, a leading figure in politics, agreed to serve as America's first chief justice. Service on this court was very tiring because the justices had to travel hundreds of miles over bad roads to review the decisions of the lower courts. It was difficult to find qualified individuals willing to serve and one justice stated that his duties had transformed him into a "traveling post boy." Premium Subscribers read more! If you had the Premium Version you would read about the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High School. You would also read about America's first national monument, and more! Upgrade today at http://www.historydaily.com/premium.html . Also on this day: In 1954 "The Tonight Show" premiered on NBC. In 1955 U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower suffered a mild heart attack. YESTERDAY'S QUESTION AND ANSWER: Which U.S. president commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition? It was Thomas Jefferson. Melanie Donohoue sent the correct answer first. TODAY'S QUESTION: Of the nine current members of the U.S. Supreme Court, who has been on the court for the longest period of time? Send your answer to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Copyright 2004 Trevor Smith --- You are currently subscribed to historydaily2 as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe click on the link below: http://go.netatlantic.com:8080/cgi-bin/unsubscribe.pl?id=32085219I
