Background:
In 1777 troops stationed in Georgia were short on supplies. The state of Georgia authorized the procurement of supplies from a South Carolina merchant named Robert Farquhar. The state of Georgia never paid for the supplies. After Farquhar died his estate brought suit against the state of Georgia in federal court. The district court dismissed the case on grounds that a state cannot be sued by a citizen of another state.
After the dismissal Chisholm filed the suit before the Supreme Court. A representative from the state of Georgia did not appear. The court decided to hold the case over until 1793 so Georgia could provide representation. Georgia did not send representation in 1793 either and the court proceeded to hear the case.
The court analyzed 4 questions including whether or not a State could be sued by a citizen of another state. The justices who heard the case were Chief Justice John Jay, and associate justices William Cushing, James Wilson, John Blair, and James Iredell. The decision was reached 4-1 with Iredell dissenting ruling that Georgia could be sued. As a result the 11th amendment was passed in 1795.
Opinion: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/2/419
I have enjoyed the previous books I read by Ben Macintyre. I picked this one up not knowing anything about Ursula Kuczynski. She grew up to be a very successful spy for the Soviet Union and received the code name Agent Sonya. I looked forward to reading this. Shortly after I began reading I was hoping I would read about when she would be caught.
Ursula lived a remarkable life. Born in Germany and coming of age in the 1920’s she was exposed to a world of turmoil. She became a committed communist early in life and would not be deterred from her ideology.
She traveled the world first leaving Germany for the United States partially to avoid marriage. She became a member of the Communist Party of the United States. After a stint in the USA she returned to Germany and married the man she had left behind. His career took them to China where her career as a spy began. From there she traveled to the Soviet Union for additional training and continued to work as a spy throughout Europe.
I found it ...
“The truth is sometimes a poor competitor in the market place of ideas – complicated, unsatisfying, full of dilemmas, always vulnerable to misinterpretation and abuse.”
George F. Kennan
