1810 Supreme Court Case

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

sales made concerning the Yazoo Lands. Peck had acquired a piece of the land in 1800, secretly knowing that it was not legally his, then resold it to Fletcher, assuring him that it was legal. When Fletcher found out that the land was illegal, he sued Peck, demanding his money back since he had to give up the land to the Georgia Legislature that was neither his nor Peck’s.
The Constitutional issue at stake was the validity of contracts, despite questionable terms and conditions associated with contracts. The contract that was signed by both parties in the Fletcher v. Pack case had an ambiguous background.
When the land deeds and sales were traced back to the person who had originally bought that the land in 1795, it was discovered that the act of 1796, to void all sales of the Yazoo land, had affected this sale. Therefore, the question at stake was: could Georgia’s Legislature invalidate signed and sealed contracts.
The ruling of the Supreme Court was unanimous, even though the land was never Peck’s to sell, both Peck and Fletcher had signed and sealed contract, and all contracts were legally binding, under the Contract Clause in Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution.

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

people.