Editing Indiana Territory (section)

===Judicial court===
When the Indiana Territory was created, the Ordinance of 1787 made no provision for a popularly-elected territorial government in the non-representative phase of territorial government (1800 to 1804).<ref name="BR267-70"/> Instead of separate legislative and judicial branches of the territorial government, the U.S. Congress, and later, the president with congressional approval, had the authority to appoint a general court consisting of three territorial judges. The judges were initially appointed by the president who later delegated this authority to the territorial governor. Adams chose William Clarke, [[Henry Vanderburgh]], and John Griffin as the territory's first three judges. Following Clarke's death in November 1802, Thomas T. Davis was appointed as his replacement.<ref name=BR314-24>Barnhart and Riker, pp. 314, 317, and 324.</ref>

Acting as the combined judicial and legislative government, the territorial governor and the three judges adopted the laws to govern the territory. In addition to working with the territorial governor on legislative issues, the territorial judges presided over the general court. When the Indiana Territory entered the semi-legislative phase of government in 1805, the legislature gradually became the dominant branch, and the judges focused on judicial matters.<ref name=BR314-24/><ref name="Dunn, p. 215">Dunn, p. 215.</ref> In 1814, as the territory progressed toward statehood, three circuit courts were established. Governor Posey appointed [[Isaac Blackford]], [[Jesse Lynch Holman]], and [[Elijah Sparks]] as presiding judges over the circuit courts. [[James Noble (senator)|James Noble]] was appointed to replace Sparks following Sparks' death in early 1815.<ref>Barnhart and Riker, p. 425.</ref>