Chisholm v. Georgia
Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 U.S. (2 Dall.) 419 (1793), is considered the first United States Supreme Court case of significance and impact. Since the case was argued prior to the formal pronouncement of judicial review by Marbury v. Madison (1803), there was little available legal precedent (particularly in U.S. law). The Court in a 4–1 decision ruled in favor of Alexander Chisholm, executor of an estate of a citizen of South Carolina, holding that Article III, Section 2 grants federal courts jurisdiction in cases between a state and a citizen of another state wherein the state is the defendant.
| Chisholm v. Georgia | |
|---|---|
Supreme Court of the United States | |
| Argued February 5, 1793 Decided February 18, 1793 | |
| Full case name | Alexander Chisholm, Executors v. Georgia |
| Citations | 2 U.S. 419 (more) |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Original action filed, U.S. Supreme Court, August, 1792 |
| Holding | |
| Article III, Section 2 grants federal courts jurisdiction in cases between a state and a citizen of another state wherein the state is the defendant. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Seriatim | Cushing |
| Seriatim | Blair |
| Seriatim | Wilson |
| Seriatim | Jay |
| Dissent | Iredell |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. art. III; Judiciary Act of 1789 | |
Superseded by | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XI | |
The case was superseded in 1795 by the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution which was considered binding by the Court in Hollingsworth v. Virginia (1798). The Supreme Court formally established sovereign immunity in federal courts in Hans v. Louisiana (1890) and state courts in Alden v. Maine (1999) using the Eleventh Amendment, effectively overturning their decision.