Chisholm v. Georgia

E115611

Chisholm v. Georgia was a 1793 U.S. Supreme Court case that held a state could be sued in federal court by a citizen of another state, a ruling that led directly to the adoption of the Eleventh Amendment limiting such suits.

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
landmark United States constitutional law case
areaOfLaw constitutional law
federal courts
sovereign immunity
citation 2 U.S. (2 Dall.) 419
constitutionalDoctrine state sovereign immunity under the U.S. Constitution
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Article III of the United States Constitution
country United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1793-02-18
defendant State of Georgia
linked to: Georgia
dissentingJustice James Iredell
linked to: James Iredell Sr.
dissentReasoning States retain sovereign immunity unless they consent to be sued
fullName Chisholm, Executor v. Georgia
linked to: Chisholm v. Georgia
hasParty Alexander Chisholm
State of Georgia
linked to: Georgia
held A state can be sued in federal court by a citizen of another state
historicalSignificance First major Supreme Court case interpreting Article III jurisdiction over states
impact Prompted adoption of the Eleventh Amendment limiting suits against states
jurisdictionBasis diversity jurisdiction between a state and a citizen of another state
languageOfCourt English
ledTo Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
legalIssue federal jurisdiction over suits against states
sovereign immunity of U.S. states
locationOfCourt Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
linked to: Philadelphia
majorityJustices James Wilson
John Blair Jr.
John Jay
William Cushing
majorityReasoning The people, not the states, are sovereign under the Constitution
plaintiff Alexander Chisholm
plaintiffPosition A state is subject to federal judicial power in suits by citizens of other states under Article III
precedentStatus Superseded by constitutional amendment in part
proceduralPosture Original action filed in the Supreme Court of the United States
relatedAmendment Eleventh Amendment
relatedConcept federal judicial power over states
state sovereign immunity in U.S. law
stateInvolved Georgia
statePosition Georgia claimed sovereign immunity from suit without its consent
subjectMatter collection of a debt owed by the State of Georgia
subsequentDevelopment Overruled in effect by the Eleventh Amendment
subsequentEffectOnLaw Restricted by later interpretations of the Eleventh Amendment
timePeriod Early Republic era of United States constitutional history
voteSplit 4–1
yearDecided 1793

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

James Iredell Sr. notableWork Opinion in Chisholm v. Georgia
linked to: Chisholm v. Georgia
Chisholm v. Georgia (Supreme Court decision) fullCaseName Alexander Chisholm, Executor v. State of Georgia
linked to: Chisholm v. Georgia
United States sovereign immunity law keyCase Chisholm v. Georgia
Chisholm v. Georgia fullName Chisholm, Executor v. Georgia
linked to: Chisholm v. Georgia
United States Supreme Court cases hasPart Chisholm v. Georgia