The United States v. Hudson and Goodwin
Supreme Court of the United States
THIS was a case certified from the Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut, in which, upon argument of a general demurrer to an indictment for a libel on the President and Congress of the United States, contained in the Connecticut Currant, of the 7th of May, 1806, charging them with having in secret voted two millions of dollars as a present, to Bonaparte for leave to make a treaty with Spain, the judges of that Court were divided in opinion upon the question, whether…
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THIS was a case certified from the Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut, in which, upon argument of a general demurrer to an indictment for a libel on the President and Congress of the United States, contained in the Connecticut Currant, of the 7th of May, 1806, charging them with having in secret voted two millions of dollars as a present, to Bonaparte for leave to make a treaty with Spain, the judges of that Court were divided in opinion upon the question, whether the Circuit Court of the United States had a common law jurisdiction in cases of libel. Pinkney, Attorney General, in…
1Opinion of the Court
The Court,
having taken time to consider, the following opinion was delivered (on the last day of the term, all the judges being present) by Johnson, J.
The only question which this case presents is, whether the Circuit Courts of the United States can exercise a common law jurisdiction in criminal cases. We state it thus broadly because a decision op a case of libel will apply to every case in which jurisdiction i$ not vested in those Courts by statute.
Although this question is brought up now'for the first time to be decided by this Court, we consider it as having been long since settled in…
2Cited by750 opinions
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- Parratt v. TaylorSupreme Court of the United States · 1981
- Chambers v. Nasco, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1991
- Bousley v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1998
- Harmelin v. MichiganSupreme Court of the United States · 1991
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