on october 12, 1864, 150 years ago this week, chief justice roger brook taney died in his . nted home in washington d.c. after 28 years as chief justice of the nation's highest court, the death of the 87--year-old maryland native prompted little grief or mourning on the part of the people of the nornle states. while some northern democratic papers offered words of respect, taney's republican opponents who were much more numerous were quick to portray his death as a cause for celebration. as soon as word came to massachusetts senator charles sumner, he dashed off a letter to president abraham lincoln in which he noted, "providence has given us a victory in the death of chief justice taney. it is a victory for liberty and constitution." in the dates following, a philadelphia newspaper stated the nation can feel little office s his removal of has been -- later, the atlantic monthly concluded that taney was essentially a partisan judge and around that same time in early 1865 an anonymous 68-page pam let was published called the unjust judge that basically made the same point. ro