United States v. Hudson
| United States v. Hudson and Goodwin | |
|---|---|
| Decided February 13, 1812 | |
| Full case name | United States v. Barzillai Hudson and George Goodwin |
| Citations | 11 U.S. 32 (more) |
| Case history | |
| Prior | On certiorari from the Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut |
| Holding | |
| The lower federal courts have no jurisdiction in criminal cases unless Congress has designated an act to be a crime, attached a penalty, and granted jurisdiction. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Johnson, joined by Marshall, Livingston, Todd, Duvall, Story |
| Washington took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. art. III | |
United States v. Hudson and Goodwin, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32 (1812), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that Congress must first enact a constitutional law criminalizing an activity, attach a penalty, and give the federal courts jurisdiction over the offense in order for the court to render a conviction. In other words, there is no federal common law of crimes.