United States v. Hudson and Goodwin

11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32, 3 L.Ed. 259 (1812)

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United States v. Hudson and Goodwin

United States Supreme Court
11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32, 3 L.Ed. 259 (1812)

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Facts

Hudson and Goodwin (defendants) made a written accusation in a Connecticut publication that the President and Congress of the United States had secretly arranged a payment of two million dollars to Napoleon Bonaparte in return for permission to enter into a treaty with Spain. The United States (plaintiff) brought an indictment for libel, a common law crime, against Hudson and Goodwin in the Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut. Hudson and Goodwin argued that the federal courts had no jurisdiction over common law crimes. The Circuit Court certified the case to the United States Supreme Court for instructions on the legal issues presented.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Johnson, J.)

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