so, i hope you will all join me in welcoming professor timothy s. huebner. [applause] >> thank you, justice scalia. thank you jim goldman and david pride and the society for the invitation. a special thanks to jennifer lowe for making all of this possible. it's an honor to be here. on october 12, 1864, 150 years ago this week, chief justice roger brooke taney died in his rented 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 northern states. while some northern democratic newspapers offered words of condolence and 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 the constitution." in the days following