United States v. Barber
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
IN ERROR. Error to the Court of Common Pleas of Union county-. Action of debt by the United States against Robert Barber,, in which case an award was made by'the arbitrators appointed under the act of the 20th of March, 1810, of no cause óf action. The plaintiffs entered an appeal without paying costs or giving any recognisance, and on.motion'of the defendant, the court below struck off the appeal. ,
1Opinion of the Court
*349The opinion of the court was delivered by
Gibson, C. J.
The government of the United States is con» stituted of state sovereignty set. apart 'for national purposes; and being a part of the government of each of the states respectively, it is not to be treated as a foreign government. It is sovereign in every’sense of the word; and we cannot, therefore, compel it to appear to anv action, pay costs, or without its leave, put' it on a footing with ordinary suitors. If it were subject to execution, the property of the nation might be taken in satisfaction of á private debt, even by a constable…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- Buckwalter v. United StatesSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1824