Mima Queen and Child v. Hepburn, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 290 (1813), was a United States Supreme Court case, affirming a denial of a petition for freedom. By refusing to create a new exception to the hearsay rule, which would admit second-hand testimony of an ancestor's freedom into evidence, the case had important implications for the law of evidence and the American antislavery movement.[1][2]
| Queen v. Hepburn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued February 5, 1813 Decided February 13, 1813 | |
| Full case name | Mima Queen and Child, petitioners for freedom v. Hepburn |
| Citations | 11 U.S. 290 (more) 7 Cranch 290, 3 L. Ed. 348, 1813 U.S. LEXIS 417 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Opinion announcement | Opinion announcement |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Judgment for the Defendant in Mima and Louisa Queen v. John Hepburn, 2 Cranch C.C. 3, 20 F.Cas. 130, 2 D.C. 3, No. 11,503 (C.C.D.D.C. 1810). |
| Holding | |
| Judgment Affirmed | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | John Marshall |
| Dissent | Gabriel Duvall |
| Laws applied | |
| Hearsay Rule | |
- ^ "Queen v. Hepburn, 11 U.S. 290, 3 L. Ed. 348, 7 Cranch 290, 1813 U.S. LEXIS 417 – CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Reports: Mima Queen and Child, petitioners for freedom, v. Hepburn, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 290 (1813)". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.