Georgia v. Stanton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Georgia v. Stanton |
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| Full case name | Georgia, Florida, and Alabama v. Stanton, Secretary of War; Grant, General of the Army, and Pope, Major-General, assigned to the command of the Third Military District |
| Citations | 73 U.S. 50 (more)
6 Wall. 50; 18 L. Ed. 721
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| Holding | |
| The Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction over federal government action under the Reconstruction Acts. | |
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| Majority | Nelson |
Georgia v. Stanton, also called The Library Case, was an important court case in 1868. It was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case was about whether the court had the power, known as jurisdiction, to decide on certain actions taken by the federal government. These actions were part of the Reconstruction Acts, which were laws made after the American Civil War.
The Supreme Court decided that it could not get involved in this specific issue. It said that the question was a "political question." This means it was a decision for the government's other branches (like the President or Congress), not for the courts. Even though the court could usually decide issues about people's rights or property, this case was different. It was about whether the federal government could change state governments. Because it was a political question, the court decided it did not have the power to rule on it.
Why Did Georgia Sue?
After the Civil War, the United States government passed laws called the Reconstruction Acts. These laws aimed to rebuild the Southern states and bring them back into the Union. The state of Georgia, along with Florida and Alabama, did not want these laws to be put into action.
To try and stop the laws, Georgia filed a lawsuit. They sued the United States Secretary of War, who was a high-ranking government official, and two of his generals. The case went directly to the Supreme Court because it involved a state suing the federal government.
