The first trial relating to the rebellion was a charge of sedition against Henry Seekamp of the Ballarat Times.
Seekamp was arrested in his newspaper office on 4 December 1854, for a series of articles that appeared in the Ballarat Times.
Many of these articles were written by George Lang, the son of the prominent republican and Presbyterian Minister of Sydney, the Reverend John Dunmore Lang.
He was tried and convicted of seditious libel by a Melbourne jury on 23 January 1855 and, after a series of appeals, sentenced to six months imprisonment on 23 March.
He was released from prison on 28 June 1855, precisely three months early.
While he was in jail, Henry Seekamp's de facto wife, Clara Seekamp took over the business, and became the first female editor of an Australian newspaper.

Of the approximately 120 'diggers' detained after the rebellion, thirteen were brought to trial.
They were:
Timothy Hayes, Chairman of the Ballarat Reform League, from Ireland
James McFie Campbell, a man of unknown African ancestry from Kingston, Jamaica
Raffaello Carboni, an Italian and trusted lieutenant who was in charge of the European diggers as he spoke a few European languages.
Carboni self-published his account of the Eureka Stockade a year after the Stockade, the only comprehensive eyewitness account
Jacob Sorenson, a Jewish man from Scotland
John Manning, a Ballarat Times journalist, from Ireland
John Phelan, a friend and business partner of Peter Lalor, from Ireland
Thomas Dignum, born in Sydney
John Joseph, an African American from New York City or Baltimore, United States
James Beattie, from Ireland
William Molloy, from Ireland
Jan Vennick, from the Netherlands
Michael Tuohy, from Ireland
Henry Reid, from Ireland
The first trial started on 22 February 1855, with defendants being brought before the court on charges of high treason.
Joseph was one of three Americans arrested at the stockade, with the United States Consul intervening for the release of the other two Americans.
The prosecution was handled by Attorney-General William Stawell representing the Crown before Chief Justice William à Beckett.
The jury deliberated for about half an hour before returning a verdict of "not guilty". "
A sudden burst of applause arose in the court" reported The Argus, but was instantly checked by court officers.
The Chief Justice condemned this as an attempt to influence the jury, as it could be construed that a jury could be encouraged to deliver a verdict that would receive such applause; he sentenced two men (identified by the Crown Solicitor as having applauded) to a week in prison for contempt.
Over 10,000 people had come to hear the jury's verdict.
John Joseph was carried around the streets of Melbourne in a chair in triumph, according to the Ballarat newspaper The Star.

Under the auspices of Victorian Chief Justice Redmond Barry, all the other 13 accused men were rapidly acquitted to great public acclaim.
The trials have on several occasions been called a farce.
Rede himself was quietly removed from the camps and reassigned to an insignificant position in rural Victoria.
The first trial relating to the rebellion was a charge of sedition against Henry Seekamp of the Ballarat Times. Seekamp was arrested in his newspaper office on 4 December 1854, for a series of articles that appeared in the Ballarat Times. Many of these articles were written by George Lang, the son of the prominent republican and Presbyterian Minister of Sydney, the Reverend John Dunmore Lang. He was tried and convicted of seditious libel by a Melbourne jury on 23 January 1855 and, after a series of appeals, sentenced to six months imprisonment on 23 March. He was released from prison on 28 June 1855, precisely three months early. While he was in jail, Henry Seekamp's de facto wife, Clara Seekamp took over the business, and became the first female editor of an Australian newspaper.
Of the approximately 120 'diggers' detained after the rebellion, thirteen were brought to trial. They were:
Timothy Hayes, Chairman of the Ballarat Reform League, from Ireland
James McFie Campbell, a man of unknown African ancestry from Kingston, Jamaica
Raffaello Carboni, an Italian and trusted lieutenant who was in charge of the European diggers as he spoke a few European languages. Carboni self-published his account of the Eureka Stockade a year after the Stockade, the only comprehensive eyewitness account
Jacob Sorenson, a Jewish man from Scotland
John Manning, a Ballarat Times journalist, from Ireland
John Phelan, a friend and business partner of Peter Lalor, from Ireland
Thomas Dignum, born in Sydney
John Joseph, an African American from New York City or Baltimore, United States
James Beattie, from Ireland
William Molloy, from Ireland
Jan Vennick, from the Netherlands
Michael Tuohy, from Ireland
Henry Reid, from Ireland
The first trial started on 22 February 1855, with defendants being brought before the court on charges of high treason. Joseph was one of three Americans arrested at the stockade, with the United States Consul intervening for the release of the other two Americans. The prosecution was handled by Attorney-General William Stawell representing the Crown before Chief Justice William à Beckett. The jury deliberated for about half an hour before returning a verdict of "not guilty". "A sudden burst of applause arose in the court" reported The Argus, but was instantly checked by court officers. The Chief Justice condemned this as an attempt to influence the jury, as it could be construed that a jury could be encouraged to deliver a verdict that would receive such applause; he sentenced two men (identified by the Crown Solicitor as having applauded) to a week in prison for contempt. Over 10,000 people had come to hear the jury's verdict. John Joseph was carried around the streets of Melbourne in a chair in triumph, according to the Ballarat newspaper The Star.
Under the auspices of Victorian Chief Justice Redmond Barry, all the other 13 accused men were rapidly acquitted to great public acclaim. The trials have on several occasions been called a farce. Rede himself was quietly removed from the camps and reassigned to an insignificant position in rural Victoria.
Eureka Rebellion