Supreme Court Decisions

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nvicted under were unconstitutional because states have no power or authority to pass laws concerning sovereign Indian Nations.
Decision: The Court ruled that the State had no power to pass any laws affecting the Cherokees because Federal jurisdiction over the Cherokees was exclusive. The missionaries’ convictions were therefore reversed. This case led to much disagreement within the three branches of government.
Importance: Federal government had no obligation to protect Indians from federal land.
5. 1857-Dredd Scott
Constitutional principle: The judiciary; Equality
Backround: Dred Scott, a slave, was taken by his owner, Sanford, into northern federal territory. Scott felt that he was free because of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which excluded slavery from specified portions of United States territories. When he came back to Missouri, Scott sued his owner for his freedom.
Decision: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that slaves were property, not citizens and, therefore, Dred Scott was not entitled to use the courts....