United States v. Hudson

United States v. Hudson and Goodwin
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided February 13, 1812
Full case name	United States v. Barzillai Hudson and George Goodwin
Citations	11 U.S. 32 (more) 11 Cranch 32; 3 L. Ed. 259; 1812 U.S. LEXIS 365
Case history
Prior	On certiorari from the Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut
Holding
The lower federal courts have no jurisdiction in criminal cases unless Congress has designated an act to be a crime, attached a penalty, and granted jurisdiction.
Court membership
Chief Justice John Marshall Associate Justices Bushrod Washington · William Johnson H. Brockholst Livingston · Thomas Todd Gabriel Duvall · Joseph Story
Case opinion
Majority	Johnson, joined by Marshall, Livingston, Todd, Duvall, Story
Washington took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
Laws applied
U.S. Const. art. III

United States v. Hudson and Goodwin, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32 (1812), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that Congress must first enact a constitutional law criminalizing an activity, attach a penalty, and give the federal courts jurisdiction over the offense in order for the court to render a conviction.