1810 Supreme Court Case

537 Words2 Pages

The 1810 Supreme Court case of Robert Fletcher and John Peck is one of great importance, bringing the controversial topics of bribery, contracts and sales into question. This case established a concrete and binding view of contracts and was the first time the Supreme Court ruled a state law unconstitutional. Fletcher v. Peck was the cause of a monumental shift in the different views of the American people. In 1795, many of the members of the Georgia Legislature had been bride to sell the Yazoo land that had been occupied by the Native Americans at a bargain price. Later, the following year, after the new elections the new members of the legislature declared the land sales to be invalid due to their fraudulent nature, and revoked any and all …show more content…

Accordingly, Georgia’s Legislature could not invalidate a contract, even if it had a questionable background. The court decided that one act could not overturn and annul the contracts made under another act; it would be unconstitutional. This was the first case where the Supreme Court ruled an act passed by a state as unconstitutional. This case also increased the value and strength of any contract. Therefore, is insured the stability of land sales and other contracts to both parties, and deemed states unable to overturn and invalidate contracts for any reason. This was important because previously, it was open to anyone was in the government to overturn and annul contracts as they pleased, but this case proved to be a turning point, and established a dependability for the people. The 1810 Supreme Court case, Fletcher v. Peck, is one to remember. It covered the hard topics of bribery in the government, the government’s ability to control the people and where the government’s power ends. This case also solidified the fine print in contracts and was the first time the Supreme Court ruled a state law unconstitutional. Fletcher v. Peck was the cause of a monumental shift in the different views of the American

Open Document