David L. Barnes

David L. Barnes
David L. Barnes
	A miniature portrait of Barnes (c. 1789)
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
	In office; April 30, 1801 – November 3, 1812
Appointed by	Thomas Jefferson
Preceded by	Benjamin Bourne
Succeeded by	David Howell
Personal details
Born	David Leonard Barnes; January 28, 1760; Scituate, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	November 3, 1812 (aged 52); Providence, Rhode Island, US
Education	Harvard University; read law

David Leonard Barnes (January 28, 1760 – November 3, 1812) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island and the winning party and the winning attorney in the first United States Supreme Court decision, West v. Barnes (1791).

Education and career

Born on January 28, 1760, in Scituate, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America, Barnes graduated from Harvard University in 1780 and read law in 1783. He entered private practice in Taunton, Massachusetts, from 1783 to 1793. He continued private practice in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1793 to 1802.^[1] He was United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1797 to 1801.^[2]

West v. Barnes

Barnes won the case of West v. Barnes (1791) representing himself and his wife's family after being admitted to the Supreme Court bar that morning.^[3]

Federal judicial service

Barnes received a recess appointment from President Thomas Jefferson on April 30, 1801, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated by Judge Benjamin Bourne. He was nominated to the same position by President Jefferson on January 6, 1802. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 26, 1802, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on November 3, 1812, due to his death in Providence.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b David Leonard Barnes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Barnes". politicalgraveyard.com.
^ Marcus, Maeva; Perry, James R. (July 3, 1985). The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231088732 – via Google Books.

Sources

James R. Perry, The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800, Volume 6, "West v. Barnes," pp. 7–27. Google Book Search excerpt
Political Graveyard bio
David Leonard Barnes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Benjamin Bourne	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island 1801–1812	Succeeded by David Howell

[auto1-1] David Leonard Barnes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

[2] "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Barnes". politicalgraveyard.com.

[3] Marcus, Maeva; Perry, James R. (July 3, 1985). The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231088732 – via Google Books.

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