List of United States Supreme Court cases prior to the Marshall Court

This is a chronological list of cases decided by the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

during the tenures of Chief Justices

Chief Justice of the United States

The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...

John Jay

John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....

(October 19, 1789 - June 29, 1795), John Rutledge

John Rutledge

John Rutledge was an American statesman and judge. He was the first Governor of South Carolina following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 31st overall...

(February 15, 1790 - March 5, 1791), and Oliver Ellsworth

Oliver Ellsworth

Oliver Ellsworth was an American lawyer and politician, a revolutionary against British rule, a drafter of the United States Constitution, and the third Chief Justice of the United States. While at the Federal Convention, Ellsworth moved to strike the word National from the motion made by Edmund...

(March 8, 1796 - December 15, 1800).

1789–1819

Case name	Citation	Summary
Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice John Jay John Jay John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States .... , October 19, 1789
Van Staphorst v. Maryland Van Staphorst v. Maryland Van Staphorst v. Maryland was the first case docketed with the United States Supreme Court. Although the court agreed to hear and decide the case, the suit was settled before oral arguments. Collet v. Collet was the first appellate case docketed with the court. West v...	(1791)	first docketed case of the Supreme Court, settled before arguments
West v. Barnes West v. Barnes West v. Barnes, 2 U.S. 401 , was the first United States Supreme Court decision and the earliest case calling for oral argument. Van Staphorst v. Maryland was docketed prior to West v. Barnes but settled before the Court heard the case: West was argued on August 2, 1791 and decided on August 3,...		first decision of the Supreme Court, strictly interpreting procedural filing requirements mandated by statute
Hayburn's Case Hayburn's Case Hayburn's Case, 2 U.S. 409 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States was invited to rule on whether certain non-judicial duties could be assigned by Congress to the federal circuit courts in their official capacity. This was the first time that the Supreme Court addressed the...	2 U.S. 409 (1792)	justiciability Justiciability Justiciability concerns the limits upon legal issues over which a court can exercise its judicial authority. It includes, but is not limited to, the legal concept of standing, which is used to determine if the party bringing the suit is a party appropriate to establishing whether an actual... and separation of powers Separation of powers The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
Chisholm v. Georgia Chisholm v. Georgia Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 U.S. 419 , is considered the first United States Supreme Court case of significance and impact. Given its date, there is little available legal precedent...		first “major” case; federal jurisdiction over suits vs. states; state sovereign immunity Sovereign immunity Sovereign immunity, or crown immunity, is a legal doctrine by which the sovereign or state cannot commit a legal wrong and is immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution.... ; led to Eleventh Amendment Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was passed by the Congress on March 4, 1794, and was ratified on February 7, 1795, deals with each state's sovereign immunity. This amendment was adopted in order to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v...
Georgia v. Brailsford		Jury nullification Jury nullification Jury nullification occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge's instructions as to the law.A jury verdict contrary to the letter of the law pertains only to the particular case before it; however, if a pattern of acquittals develops in response to repeated attempts to...
Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice John Rutledge John Rutledge John Rutledge was an American statesman and judge. He was the first Governor of South Carolina following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 31st overall... , August 12, 1795
United States v. Peters United States v. Richard Peters, District Judge United States v. Richard Peters, District Judge 3 U.S. 121 is an early United States Supreme Court case determining that the federal district court has no jurisdiction over a foreign privateer where the intended captured ship was not within the jurisdiction of the court. The Supreme Court may...		Federal district court has no authority over a foreign privateer when the captured ship was not within its jurisdiction.
Talbot v. Janson Talbot v. Janson Talbot v. Janson, , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the jurisdiction of the court extended to the seas and that a citizen of the United States could also hold the citizenship of another nation ....		admiralty Admiralty The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy... and citizenship Citizenship Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth was an American lawyer and politician, a revolutionary against British rule, a drafter of the United States Constitution, and the third Chief Justice of the United States. While at the Federal Convention, Ellsworth moved to strike the word National from the motion made by Edmund... , March 8, 1796
Hylton v. United States Hylton v. United States Hylton v. United States, , was an early United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that a tax on carriages did not violate the Article I, Section 9 requirement for the apportioning of direct taxes. It found the carriage tax was an "excise" instead of a "direct tax" requiring...		tax on carriages
Hollingsworth v. Virginia Hollingsworth v. Virginia Hollingsworth v. Virginia, 3 U.S. 378 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled early in America's history that the President of the United States has no formal role in the process of amending the United States Constitution. While it is permissible, a Presidential signature is...		ratification of Eleventh Amendment Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was passed by the Congress on March 4, 1794, and was ratified on February 7, 1795, deals with each state's sovereign immunity. This amendment was adopted in order to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v... , presidential approval is unnecessary for Constitutional amendment
Calder v. Bull Calder v. Bull Calder v. Bull, 3 U.S. 386 , is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court examined its authority to review state legislature decisions.-Background:...		ex post facto clause applies to criminal, not civil cases
New York v. Connecticut New York v. Connecticut New York v. Connecticut, 4 U.S. 1 , was a lawsuit heard by the Supreme Court of the United States between the State of New York against the State of Connecticut in 1799 that arose from a land dispute between private parties...	4 U.S. 1 (1799)	original jurisdiction Original jurisdiction The original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a court has the power to review a lower court's decision.-France:... suit between two States >-

1789–1819

See also