The Eagle

75 U.S. (8 Wall.) 15, 19 L.Ed. 365 (1869)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

The Eagle

United States Supreme Court
75 U.S. (8 Wall.) 15, 19 L.Ed. 365 (1869)

Facts

The Eagle (defendant) was a tug that was towing a brig and a barge (defendant). The tug was towing the brig from Lake Huron to Lake Erie wholly within the state of Michigan, a segment that was only a portion of the brig’s voyage from Michigan to its final destination in Buffalo, New York. The Eagle accidentally grounded the brig on a shoal in the Detroit River, and the barge collided with the brig. The owner of the brig (plaintiff) sued both the Eagle and the barge in federal district court under admiralty jurisdiction. The district court held the Eagle to be liable and exonerated the barge. The circuit court affirmed. The Eagle appealed to the United States Supreme Court, alleging that there was no jurisdiction to hear the case because it did not fall within the provisions of the Great Lakes Act of 1845 granting admiralty jurisdiction to certain claims on those waterways.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Nelson, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership