Alexander James Dallas

(b. Kingston, Jamaica, 21 June 1759; d. Philadelphia, Pa., 16 Jan. 1817), first Supreme Court reporter, 1791–1800. Dallas's reportership was purely an entrepreneurial venture. Even before the Court's 1791 arrival in Philadelphia, he had published reports of state cases in periodicals and in a single bound volume. Hence 1 Dallas, now 1 United States Reports, contains no Supreme Court matter. Three more volumes followed, chronicling the Court's first decisions, from August term 1791 through its final activities in Philadelphia in August term 1800.

We owe much to Dallas for recognizing the need for Supreme Court reports, thereby in theory making the decisions of the new nation's highest court available to judges, lawyers, and citizens. Apart from his Reports, the Court's rulings could be known only through correspondence, word of mouth, and occasional newspaper accounts.

The execution of Dallas's self‐appointed task was marked, however, by delay, expense, omission, and questionable accuracy. In fairness, he faced formidable obstacles. Lack of government funding forced selective reporting, reflecting purchasers' unwillingness to finance fuller reports. Likewise, because the Court had no requirement of written decisions and Dallas's practice precluded constant attendance at its proceedings, he often relied on others' notes.

The results were uneven. Five years elapsed between Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), the last Supreme Court decision recorded in 2 Dallas, and publication of that volume; between Dallas's retirement as reporter and publication of 4 Dallas, seven years passed. Buyers complained of the volumes' price. Barely half of the Court's dispositions during its first decade were reported, and accounts of many cases, including Ware v. Hylton (1796), contain matter clearly not the justices' own.

Dallas left things better than he found them, but both he and the Court were disappointed in comparing aspiration with accomplishment. “I have found such miserable encouragement for my Reports,” he wrote upon relinquishing the reportership, “that I have determined to call them all in, and devote them to the rats in the State‐House.”

See also Reporters, Supreme Court.

Bibliography

• Morris L. Cohen and Sharon Hamby O'Connor, A Guide to the Early Reports of the Supreme Court of the United States (1995), pp. 11–22.
• Craig Joyce, The Rise of the Supreme Court Reporter: An Institutional Perspective on Marshall Court Ascendancy, Michigan Law Review 83 (1985): 1291–1391.
• Sandra Day O'Connor, The Supreme Court Reports, in The Majesty of the Law, edited by Craig Joyce (2003), pp. 24–30

— Craig Joyce

Alexander James Dallas achieved prominence as a jurist, statesman, and author. Dallas was born June 21, 1759, in Jamaica, British West Indies. He relocated to the United States, becoming a citizen in 1783.

In 1785, Dallas was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar and began his judicial career as counselor of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Six years later he acted as secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He also performed editorial duties on the first series of the U.S. Supreme Court Reports and served as U.S. district attorney from 1801 to 1814, before entering the federal government system.

Dallas became secretary of the treasury in 1814 and remained in the cabinet of President James Madison for two years. He gained recognition during his tenure for his policies advocating protective tariffs, public credit, and the formation of the Second Bank of the United States. His programs were responsible for restoring the United States to a strong financial position after several years of depression. In addition to these duties, he served concurrently as acting secretary of war from 1815 to 1816.

As an author, Dallas wrote many noteworthy publications, including Features of Mr. Jay's Treaty (1795); Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, four volumes (1793 to 1801); Reports of Cases Ruled and Adjudged in the Several Courts of the United States and Pennsylvania, four volumes (1790 to 1807); and Treasury Reports: An Exposition of the Causes and Character of the War (1815).

Dallas died January 16, 1817, in Trenton, New Jersey.