Baker v. Morton

Baker v. Morton
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued March 24, 1871
Decided April 3, 1871
Full case nameAlexander H. Baker v. William S. Morton
Citations79 U.S. 150 (more)
12 Wall. 150; 20 L. Ed. 262; 1870 U.S. LEXIS 1172
Court membership
Chief Justice
Salmon P. Chase
Associate Justices
Samuel Nelson · Nathan Clifford
Noah H. Swayne · Samuel F. Miller
David Davis · Stephen J. Field
William Strong · Joseph P. Bradley
Case opinion
MajorityClifford, joined by unanimous

Baker v. Morton, 79 U.S. (12 Wall.) 150 (1870), was the second of two land claim suits to come out of Omaha, Nebraska Territory, filed in September 1860, prior to statehood.[1] A claim jumper filed suit against local land barons to stake out a homestead in the area that was to become the city of Omaha. The case was important for establishing homesteaders' rights and ensuring that the future growth of Omaha would benefit everyone, not just wealthy landowners and speculators.

  1. ^ Three years earlier, the Court decided Brown v. Pierce, 74 U.S. (7 Wall.) 205 (1868), on substantially similar facts, in an appeal from the Supreme Court of Nebraska Territory. The State of Nebraska was admitted to the Union in February 1867.