The Yale Law Journal

VOLUME
117
2007-2008
Forum

Liberated Slaves

25 Feb 2008

Like British admiralty courts and courts in many civil law countries, the international slave trade courts did not rely on live, in-court testimony, but instead on written depositions from witnesses taken in advance of the hearing. The registrar of the court would administer a detailed, fixed list of questions to the witnesses and record their answers. Ships documents, such as logs and registration papers, would fill out the dossier.

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The court’s decisions were usually fairly brief, quickly summarizing the evidence, any relevant legal authorities, and giving the conclusion.

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