Fletcher v. Peck

Fletcher v. Peck
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued February 15, 1810
Decided March 16, 1810
Full case nameRobert Fletcher v. John Peck
Citations10 U.S. 87 (more)
6 Cranch 87; 3 L. Ed. 162; 1810 U.S. LEXIS 322;
Case history
PriorDemurrer overruled, D. Mass
SubsequentNone
Holding
The Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibited Georgia from voiding contracts for the transfer of land, even though they were secured through illegal bribery. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts affirmed.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Marshall
Associate Justices
William Cushing · Samuel Chase
Bushrod Washington · William Johnson
H. Brockholst Livingston · Thomas Todd
Case opinions
MajorityMarshall, joined by Cushing, Chase, Washington, Livingston, Todd
Concur/dissentJohnson
Laws applied
U.S. Const. art. I, § 10, cl. 1

Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U.S. (6 Cranch) 87 (1810), was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in which the Supreme Court first ruled a state law unconstitutional. The decision created a growing precedent for the sanctity of legal contracts and hinted that Native Americans did not hold complete title to their own lands (an idea fully realized in Johnson v. McIntosh).[1]

  1. ^ Barker, Joanne (2022). "The Corporation and the Tribe". In Koshy, Susan (ed.). Colonial Racial Capitalism. Duke University Press. p. 41-45.