Joseph Smith's 1826 Trial: The Legal Setting

Authors

Gordon A. Madsen

Keywords

Joseph Smith, Trials, litigation, Legal instruments, New York, History, Procedure, Law, Disorderly conduct, Laws, legislation

Abstract

In 1826 in Bainbridge, New York, Joseph Smith, later founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was charged with being a disorderly person. In this article lawyer Gordon A. Madsen puts the trial into the legal context of the day and examines the statutory, procedural, and case law in force in New York in 1826. He then reexamines the conclusions drawn by earlier writers.

Recommended Citation

Madsen, Gordon A. (1990) "Joseph Smith's 1826 Trial: The Legal Setting," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 30: Iss. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol30/iss2/7