Gibbons v. Ogden
From Judgepedia
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) became the first case the Supreme Court tried under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution (located in Article I). The presiding judges were: Chief Justice John Marshall and five Associate Justice: Gabriel Duvall, William Johnson, Joseph Story, Thomas Todd, Bushrod Washington (Smith Thompson did not participate).
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History
Sixteen years prior to the trial, Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston (as business partners) had acquired a monopoly from the State of New York to operate steamboat traffic on the Hudson Bay. Based upon this state-sanctioned monopoly, Fulton & Livingston granted permits and seized non-affiliated boats. A steamboat operator named Aaron Ogden had purchased such a permit; however, Thomas Gibbons, another steamboat operator on the East Coast, had received a coastal license from the Federal Government, and as such was conducting his steamboating operations between New Jersey and New York. A conflagration between the two--former business partners as well-- was touched off when Ogden "tried to get an injunction against Gibbons from the Chancellor of New York State."[1]
Controversy
Ogden sued Gibbons with the presupposition that New York State law would protect his monopoly. Despite Gibbons's rebuttal that he had a license from the Federal Government, the New York State courts ruled in Ogden's favor--reinforcing Ogden's claim that state law, in this instance, took precendence over federal governance.
Interesting Facts
No known briefs exist for this case-- either in the Library of Congress or the Supreme Court; the only records are the oral argument summary and the opinion written by Chief Justice John Marshall.
Related Cases
- Shreveport Rate Cases, 234 U.S. 342 (1914)
- Mulford v. Smith, 307 U.S. 38 (1939)
- National League of Crises v. Usery, 426 U.S. 833 (1976)
- United States v. Lopez (1995)
