Legal Trivia Question of the Month

The scope of Congress’ taxing power was the center of the Supreme Court’s most recently decided case.  The taxing power was also the focus of the first-ever high court case to address the constitutionality of an act of Congress.  In 1796, the Supreme Court held that an excise tax on carriages was constitutional, after an impressive argument on behalf of the government by a Founding Father.  Who was the first person to successfully defend a constitutional challenge to a federal law before the Supreme Court?  Hints:  among many other things, he was a Cabinet secretary, but was never Attorney General.  Email scottsinger@ymail.com for the answer.