Martin v. Hunter's Lessee

Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, 14 U.S. (1 Wheat.) 304 (1816), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

A dispute over Virginia land grants raised the question of whether the Supreme Court had appellate jurisdiction over state court decisions involving federal law. The Virginia Court of Appeals refused to comply with a Supreme Court mandate, arguing that Section 25 of the Judiciary Act — which authorized Supreme Court review of state court decisions — was unconstitutional.

Significance

Justice Story’s opinion affirmed the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction over state courts on matters of federal law. He reasoned that the Constitution established a uniform system of federal law that would be meaningless without a final arbiter. The decision ensured the supremacy of federal law and the Supreme Court’s role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution, preventing each state from interpreting federal law differently.

Category

US Federal Case Law