Prize Cases

E879781

The Prize Cases were a landmark 1863 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld President Abraham Lincoln’s authority to blockade Confederate ports without a formal declaration of war during the Civil War.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Prize Cases canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case ⓘ
landmark decision ⓘ
areaOfLaw admiralty law ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ
international law ⓘ
authorOfMajorityOpinion Robert Cooper Grier ⓘ
linked to: Robert C. Grier
citation 67 U.S. (2 Black) 635 ⓘ
concernsParty Confederate-aligned shipowners ⓘ
Union (United States) government ⓘ
linked to: Union government

owners of ships and cargo seized by Union forces ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
court Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
decisionDate 1863 ⓘ
decisionType majority opinion with dissents ⓘ
didNotRecognize Confederacy as a sovereign nation ⓘ
dissentingJustices John Catron ⓘ
Nathan Clifford ⓘ
Robert C. Grier (in part, on some issues if counted separately in some sources) ⓘ
Roger B. Taney ⓘ
linked to: Roger Brooke Taney

Samuel Nelson ⓘ
era Civil War era ⓘ
hasJurisdiction United States federal law ⓘ
held President could order a blockade without a formal declaration of war ⓘ
a state of civil war can exist without a congressional declaration ⓘ
captures made under Lincoln’s blockade were lawful prize of war ⓘ
impact expanded understanding of presidential authority in undeclared wars ⓘ
strengthened the legal basis for Lincoln’s wartime actions ⓘ
involvesConflict American Civil War ⓘ
involvesPresident Abraham Lincoln ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalIssue blockade authority ⓘ
international law of war ⓘ
law of prize and capture ⓘ
presidential war powers ⓘ
separation of powers ⓘ
majorityBy Justice Robert Cooper Grier ⓘ
precedentFor later cases on executive war powers ⓘ
recognized Confederacy as belligerent for purposes of international law ⓘ
relatedTo Lincoln’s April 1861 blockade proclamations ⓘ
reporter Black’s Reports ⓘ
linked to: Black Reports

U.S. (United States Reports) ⓘ
subjectMatter legality of Civil War naval blockades ⓘ
status of insurrection and rebellion under U.S. law ⓘ
supportsDoctrine broad presidential power in emergencies ⓘ
upheldAction Union naval blockade of Confederate ports ⓘ
seizure of vessels running the blockade ⓘ
volumeInUnitedStatesReports 67 ⓘ
voteSplit 5–4 ⓘ
yearDecided 1863 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

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