Federalist Nos. 80 – 83

Some of the items of discussion in the federalist papers are so obvious that I must conclude that the purpose of these papers was not onyl to answer critics of the proposed constitution, but also to endeavor to generally educate those who had not considered the necessities of government in order that they might make an informed choice on the issue of ratification. In my opinion, this effort to disseminate information is one of the hallmarks that separates a statesman from a politician. Politicians seem to love pontificating and posturing, but do not seem to care much whether they actually inform or enlighten.

Federalist No. 80 lays out the types of cases and situations that would properly fall under federal jurisdiction and argues that only those cases have been covered in the powers granted to the federal courts. Federalist No. 81 explains the purpose of allowing for lesser federal courts to be instituted rather than relying on a single supreme court, or dependence on state courts in any case of federal jurisdiction. Federalist No. 82 contends that the judicial systems of the states are not adversly affected in any material way by the federal judicial system as proposed. Federalist No. 83 discusses the value and limitations of trial by jury and contradicts the assertion that trial by jury might be prohibited in civil cases on the grounds that it is mandated in criminal cases. I found it interesting to note some similarities in the reasons to recommend a trial by jury when compared to the reasons that recommend the use of an electoral college. It was also interesting to read how different the judicial systems of the various states were from each other.