R. Kent Newmyer

Aaron Burr, sir, was a cur: an electoral college loser, the damn fool who shot Alexander Hamilton and (wait for it) called out by the president as a traitor. In the early 19th century, a filibuster was not a parliamentary but a military maneuver; Burr was said to have organized a guerrilla force against Spanish rule in Mexico. (A parallel effort in Venezuela was led by someone named Miranda.)

Thomas Jefferson called out the militia to lock him up, claiming Burr aimed to stir rebellion in the West. Then he took over Burr's prosecution, dangling pardons for witnesses. John Marshall, having newly minted the separation of powers doctrine as chief justice, still was conducting circuit court trials. He caught the case and subpoenaed the president. Good thing the courts don't get this political anymore, right?… (más)