District Court of the Fifth Circuit Minute Books
- US HSA 258
- Series
- 1867-1954
Part of Records of the Judiciary
Contains proceedings relating to minor civil suits, criminal arraignments, and criminal cases. Criminal cases requiring juries were tried in the circuit court, with initial arraignments in the district court. Minute book entries provide date of court hearing, name of presiding magistrate, minutes to cases heard before the district court magistrate, judgments, fines and sentences. Criminal cases involve public nuisance, drunkenness, gambling, polygamy, adultery, sale of intoxicating drinks, breaking Sabbath, and theft. Contains "haalele hana" cases where indentured agricultural laborers were brought before the district magistrate by plantations for not fulfilling the terms of labor contracts.
District Court of the Fifth Circuit