Isaac Newton Blackford was the second Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, the court's longest serving Justice, and among the longest serving jurists in the history of the United States. He wrote an eight-volume work entitled Blackford's Reports recording all the early decisions of the court. The books became a staple legal source among Indiana's lawyers and received national and international acclaim for their style, accuracy, quality, and concision in dealing with common law. As a jurist, Blackford was the most influential ever to serve on Indiana's courts, according to former Chief Justice of Indiana Randall Shepard. He was nicknamed the "Indiana Blackstone" because of a comment made by Washington Irving regarding the popularity of Blackford's books. During his lifetime he was nationally renowned as one of the most prominent jurists in the United States.
Isaac Blackford from Who-When-What Book, 1900
Sketch of the Indiana Governor's Mansion where Blackford lived for over twenty years.
Isaac Blackford in a pencil portrait
The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse.
Indiana State Capitol, host of the Indiana Supreme Court.
First Supreme Court chambers in the First State Capitol Building
Chief Justice Isaac Blackford (November 6, 1786 – December 31, 1859)
Portrait of the Indiana Supreme Court in their chambers in 1912. From left to right: Douglas Morris, Charles E. Cox, Chief Justice Leander J. Monks, Quincy Myers, and John W. Spencer.