Chauncey Brewer Sabin
Judge Sabin no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Sabin decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
He applied state witness-competency law in federal proceedings when federal statute directed that result.
“in all other respects the laws of the state in which the court is held shall be the rule of decision as to the competency of witnesses”
He treated an interstate tax as invalid where it burdened sales by sample for merchants with no goods or business house in Texas.
“The law in question is utterly void so far as it affects the commerce of citizens of other states”
For extradition, he required evidence strong enough that a guilty verdict on the same record would not have to be set aside.
“If a verdict of guilty were rendered upon the evidence, would he feel it his duty to set it aside? That seems to me to be the reasonable rule.”
Procedural preferences
He declined unnecessary judicial intervention where ordinary subpoena authority and voluntary state cooperation were available.
“the court In this case does not feel it necessary to control the action of the district attorney by either ordering or refusing a subpoena.”
He required extradition evidence to fairly prove the charge and call for an explanation rather than merely create a light presumption.
“the evidence should be such as to fairly prove the charge, and call upon the defendant to explain the facts adduced”
Cautions
A witness's known incompetency could be waived if testimony was received without objection.
“If an incompetent witness' is placed upon the stand and sworn, and gives testimony without objection, his incompetency being known, such testimony is proper for the consideration of the jury.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“hence the court declines to make any order upon the motion presented.”
“he must be discharged and released from custody, and have and recover all costs herein.”
“I therefore order and adjudge, and it is ordered and adjudged by me, that the said Ludwig Risch, alias Rischkee, or Rischky, be held in custody by the marshal of the United States of America for the Eastern district of Texas, and confined in the county jail of Galveston county, Tex., for extradition”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket records are available for this nineteenth-century tenure, so the profile makes no claim about caseload mix or case duration.
A historical record
Judge Sabin no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.