Maddox v. Jackson

Oct 30, 1815
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Brooke
Judge Brooke

delivered the court’s opinion as follows :

The court, considering the instruction to the jury ‍​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‍stated in the bill of exceptions as confined to the warrant, the endorsement thereon, and the recognizance, and as not excluding from the jury the other evidence stated in the ‍​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‍bill of exceptions, or any other testimony which might have been .offered by the plaintiff to disprove the probable cause inferible from the aforesaid proceedings before the magistrate, is of ‍​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‍opinion, that the said instruction was correct, and no invasion of the sacred trial by jury. The inference from the proceedings and trial before the magistrate is founded on ‍​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‍the legal presumption that magistrates and courts are indifferent, and without malice, as to the accused; a presumption that is equivalent to a rule of law, and which ought not ‍​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‍to be unsettled by the variable verdicts of juries. The court therefore affirms the judgment,