Chapter
The Evolution of Recording Court Decisions
18:39 - 24:05 (05:26)
Before the 19th century, American court systems did not thoroughly document their decisions. Freelance observers sold their notes on court cases to those interested in accessing that information before the court system began to record their decisions at the end of the century.
Clips
In Neo-Babylonian Mesopotamia, legal records were kept on clay tablets to prove ownership of land and to preserve information about court cases.
18:39 - 21:21 (02:41)
Summary
In Neo-Babylonian Mesopotamia, legal records were kept on clay tablets to prove ownership of land and to preserve information about court cases. Clay tablets were a durable medium for document preservation in ancient times.
ChapterThe Evolution of Recording Court Decisions
EpisodeUnsung Heroes of the Court
PodcastStuff You Should Know
Before the early 19th century, American court systems didn't record their verdicts, which often resulted in discrepancies.
21:21 - 24:05 (02:44)
Summary
Before the early 19th century, American court systems didn't record their verdicts, which often resulted in discrepancies. Freelance reporters eventually started manually recording the decisions to monetize, until Massachusetts passed a law allowing the governor to appoint a learned legal expert to obtain true and accurate records of verdicts in 1804.