Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, 14 U.S. 304 (1816) was a landmark United States Supreme Court case which was decided on March 20, 1816. It was the first case to assert ultimate Supreme Court authority over state courts in matters of federal law.

During the American Revolution, the state of Virginia enacted legislation that allowed it to confiscate Loyalists’ property. One such Loyalist named Denny Martin sued on the grounds that treaties with Great Britain guaranteed protection of Loyalist property. The Virginia state supreme court upheld the confiscation. It did not do so on the grounds that Virginia law was superior to U.S. treaties, but rather because it argued that its own interpretation of the treaty revealed that the treaty did not in fact cover the dispute. On review, the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed with this conclusion, ruling that the treaty did in fact cover the dispute, and remanded the case back to the Virginia Supreme Court, but the Virginia court then argued that the U.S. Supreme Court did not have authority over cases originating in state court. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the state court’s decision on appeal, ruling that questions of federal law were within its jurisdiction, and thereby establishing its own supremacy in matters of constitutional interpretation.

See also

• List of United States Supreme Court cases

External links

• LII: full text of Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
• Full text of the decision courtesy of Findlaw.com