Murdock v. City of Memphis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Murdock v. City of Memphis |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Argued January 21, 1874 Reargued April 2–3, 1874 Decided January 11, 1875 |
|
| Full case name | Murdock v. City of Memphis |
| Citations | 87 U.S. 590 (more)
20 Wall. 590; 22 L. Ed. 429; 1874 U.S. LEXIS 1451
|
| Holding | |
| The Supreme Court affirmed the state court's decision on federal law, but would not consider the state court's decisions resting solely on state law. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Miller, joined by Davis, Field, Strong, Hunt |
| Dissent | Clifford, joined by Swayne |
| Dissent | Bradley |
| Waite took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. Art. III, § 2. and Section 25 of Judiciary Act of 1789 as amended in 1867 | |
Murdock v. City of Memphis was an important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1875. This case helped decide how much power federal courts have over decisions made by state courts. It especially clarified what happens when state laws are involved.
Contents
What Was the Case About?
The case was about a disagreement over land in Memphis. A person named Murdock challenged a decision made by a state court about land that belonged to his family.
The Land Dispute
Murdock believed that a federal law meant the land should be held in a special way, like a trust. A "trust" is when property is managed by one person or group for the benefit of another. The state court agreed with this part of Murdock's argument.
The City of Memphis was represented by William Tod Otto, who argued their side of the case. The case was heard twice before Morrison Waite became the Chief Justice. Because of this, Chief Justice Waite did not take part in the final decision.
The Supreme Court's Decision
Murdock asked the Supreme Court to also look at the state court's decisions about state law. He based this request on a law called the Judiciary Act of 1867.
However, the Supreme Court decided that this Act did not give them the power to review state law claims. They only looked at the federal law part of the case. The Court agreed with the state court's decision regarding the federal law.
Why This Case Matters
The Murdock v. City of Memphis case is very important today. It helped establish a key rule: state courts are the final authority on state laws. This means that federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, generally do not review decisions made by state courts if those decisions are based only on state law.
This principle is known as the "adequate and independent state ground" doctrine. It means if a state court's decision is based on its own state law, and that state law is enough to support the decision, then the federal courts will not step in. This helps keep a balance of power between state and federal legal systems.
