Ex parte Garland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ex parte Garland |
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| Argued December 15, 22, 1865 Reargued March 13–15, 1866 Decided January 14, 1867 |
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| Full case name | Ex parte Garland |
| Citations | 71 U.S. 333 (more)
4 Wall. 333; 18 L. Ed. 366; 1866 U.S. LEXIS 886
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| Holding | |
| Congress cannot punish a person for a crime for which the person has been pardoned. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Field, joined by Wayne, Nelson, Grier, Clifford |
| Dissent | Miller, joined by Chase, Swayne, Davis |
Ex parte Garland was an important case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1867. This case was about whether a lawyer who had been part of the Confederate States of America could continue to work in federal courts after the American Civil War.
Understanding the Case: Ex parte Garland
This court case helped decide what happens when someone receives a pardon from the President. It also looked at how the government can make laws about who can work as a lawyer.
What Was the Case About?
After the Civil War, the United States Congress passed a law in 1865. This law said that anyone working as an officer in a federal court had to take a special loyalty oath. This oath made them promise they had never supported the Confederate government.
Augustus Hill Garland was a lawyer from Arkansas. He had been a Senator for the Confederate States during the war. After the war, he received a pardon from US President Andrew Johnson. A pardon is like an official forgiveness for past actions.
Garland argued that the new law was unfair to him. He said it was like being punished again for something he had already been pardoned for. He believed the law went against the United States Constitution.
The Court's Decision: What Did They Rule?
The Supreme Court heard the case and made a decision with a 5-4 vote. This means five judges agreed, and four disagreed. The Court decided that the law passed by Congress was unconstitutional.
They said the law was a "bill of attainder." This is a law that punishes a specific person or group without a fair trial. They also called it an "ex post facto law." This means it punished people for actions that were not illegal when they happened, or it made the punishment worse after the fact.
The Court also ruled that a President's pardon is very powerful. Once someone is pardoned, they cannot be punished for those past actions. Augustus Garland was protected by his pardon.
Finally, the Court explained that lawyers are officers of the court, not officers of the United States government. This means that judges, not Congress, have the power to decide who can be a lawyer in their courts. Because of this ruling, many former Confederate officials were able to return to their jobs as lawyers in federal courts.
