Two volumes. [8],392,[30]pp. plus errata leaf; [8],302,[2],19pp. (12mo) 19.7x12 cm (7¾x4¾"), original full calf, red leather spine label printed in gilt.
A very important collection of case reports, among the earliest for cases argued in the Federal period, covering cases which appeared before the Virginia Court of Appeals from 1790 to 1796. The reports are dedicated to Edmund Pendleton, president of the Court of Appeals and a leading figure in the Revolution in Virginia, who headed that court from 1777 until his death in 1803. Pendleton had a significant influence on Washington, Jefferson, and especially his cousin, James Madison, who sought his advice on the Constitution. The judicial decisions rendered by his court had great impact throughout the country. Washington would have appointed Pendleton chief justice of the Supreme Court if the latter's health would have allowed it.
These reports were compiled by Washington's nephew and heir, Bushrod Washington, who ran his law practice in Richmond from 1790 to 1798. At the end of 1798 he was appointed to the Supreme Court, taking the place vacated by the death of his law teacher and mentor, James Wilson. He served on the Court until his death in 1829. In 1802, following the death of Martha Washington, he inherited Mount Vernon and resided there for the rest of his life.