MS (DNA: RG 46, Senate Records, 5th Cong., 3d sess.); in TJ’s hand in pencil; at head of text in Samuel A. Otis’s hand: “This Court is of opinion”; endorsed by Otis: “Motion that Wm Blount be dismissed his bonds Jany 11th 1799”; in clerk’s hand: “High Court of Impt. 5 Cong: 3d Sess.” Printed in JS, description begins Journal of the Senate of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1820–21, 5 vols. description ends 3:491.

On 7 Jan., debating a resolution to overrule Blount’s plea, the Senate began deliberations on whether to go ahead with the impeachment trial. Three days later the court defeated the motion by an 11 to 14 vote. On 11 Jan. the court voted, by the same margin, that the court ought not to hold jurisdiction and that the impeachment should be dismissed (JS, description begins Journal of the Senate of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1820–21, 5 vols. description ends 3:490–1; Annals description begins Annals of the Congress of the United States: The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States … Compiled from Authentic Materials, Washington, D.C., Gales & Seaton, 1834–56, 42 vols. All editions are undependable and pagination varies from one printing to another. The first two volumes of the set cited here have “Compiled … by Joseph Gales, Senior” on the title page and bear the caption “Gales & Seatons History” on verso and “of Debates in Congress” on recto pages. The remaining volumes bear the caption “History of Congress” on both recto and verso pages. Those using the first two volumes with the latter caption will need to employ the date of the debate or the indexes of debates and speakers. description ends , 8:2318–19). It then “Resolved that the Senate will be ready to recieve the Managers of the H. of R. and the counsel of the def. on Monday next at 12. aclock to render judgment in the impeachment of the H. of R. against W.B.” (MS in DNA: RG 46, Senate Records, 5th Cong., 3d sess.; in TJ’s hand, with emendations by TJ and an unidentified hand rendering the closing passage to read “in the impeachmt. against William Blount”; endorsed by clerk). For the motion as finally adopted, see JS, description begins Journal of the Senate of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1820–21, 5 vols. description ends 3:491. On 14 Jan. TJ addressed the trial managers and Blount’s defense counsel with the following words: “The Court, after having given the most mature and serious consideration to the question, and to the full and able arguments urged on both sides, has come to the decision which I am now about to deliver.” He then read the opinion agreed to on 11 Jan., copies of the judgment were delivered to the House managers and defense counsel, and the court adjourned (Annals description begins Annals of the Congress of the United States: The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States … Compiled from Authentic Materials, Washington, D.C., Gales & Seaton, 1834–56, 42 vols. All editions are undependable and pagination varies from one printing to another. The first two volumes of the set cited here have “Compiled … by Joseph Gales, Senior” on the title page and bear the caption “Gales & Seatons History” on verso and “of Debates in Congress” on recto pages. The remaining volumes bear the caption “History of Congress” on both recto and verso pages. Those using the first two volumes with the latter caption will need to employ the date of the debate or the indexes of debates and speakers. description ends , 8:2319; JS description begins Journal of the Senate of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1820–21, 5 vols. description ends , 3:491).