again his attempt atfreedom had failed. His next step was to take his case into the federal judicial system as hebrought it to the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Missouri.The Scott case would be very different when entered into the federal courthowever. First Scott had a new owner who was John F.A. Sanford, the brother of Mrs.Emerson. Once again Scotts attempt failed based on Sanford’s argument that Scott hadregained his slave status when he returned to Missouri and therefor was a slave and had noright to seek freedom. This was not Scott’s final attempt at freedom however. He decidedto take his case to the highest court in the nation.Before proceeding to the Supreme Court with his case Dredd Scott found a lawyerto represent his cause. The lawyer that took his case was a man named, MontgomeryBlair, a fellow Missourian. Blair was a highly respected lawyer in Washington, and was ananti-slavery supporter. He also agreed to take Scott’s defense at no charge. The case had ahuge political impact at this time and was delayed one year in order to avoid debates aboutthe controversial topic in the election of 1856. Scott’s case had not attracted much attention until it reached the Supreme Court.The Scott case renewed debate over slavery issues and also the debate over whetherCongress had the power to regulate slavery. Both the republican and Democratic partiesagreed that the slavery issue should rest in the arms of the Supreme Court.When the Supreme Court met for the first time on the case on February 14, 1857,it favored the previous courts decision that ruled in favor of Mr. Sanford. Yet this caseopened other arguments such as Negro citizenship and the constitutionality of theMissouri Compromise. When these issues were heard in court the court elected ChiefJustice Roger B. Taney to represent the majority decision in the court. The court battlelasted nearly a month and on March 6, 1857, the court had reached a decis...
