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Johnson v. M’Intosh

United States Supreme Court
21 U.S. 543 (1823)

Written by Sean Carroll, JD

Facts

In 1773 and 1775, chiefs of the Illinois and Piankeshaw nations, American Indian tribes, made two purported grants of tracts of land to certain private parties. The tracts were in present-day Illinois. After the United States obtained its independence from Britain, the federal government sold land parcels to various buyers. Some parcels were on the tracts purportedly conveyed in the 1775 grant from the Piankeshaw nation. Joshua Johnson and Thomas Graham (plaintiffs), who inherited land from one of the grantees of the 1775 purchase, brought an ejectment suit against William McIntosh (M‘Intosh) (defendant), who had purchased some of the relevant land from the federal government. The district court declined to recognize Johnson’s and Graham’s title and thus ruled in M‘Intosh’s favor. The United States Supreme Court reviewed the decision.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Marshall, C.J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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