This is a partial chronological list of cases decided by the United States Supreme Court during the tenures of Chief Justices John Jay (October 19, 1789 – June 29, 1795), John Rutledge (August 12, 1795 – December 28, 1795), and Oliver Ellsworth (March 8, 1796 – December 15, 1800), respectively the Jay, Rutledge, and Ellsworth Courts.
| Jay Court | |
|---|---|
none ← | |
| October 19, 1789 – June 29, 1795 (5 years, 253 days) | |
| Seat | Old City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| No.ofpositions | 6 |
| Jay Court decisions | |
 | |
| Case name | Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice John Jay, October 19, 1789 | ||
| Van Staphorst v. Maryland | (1791) | first docketed case of the Supreme Court, settled before arguments |
| West v. Barnes | 2 U.S. 401 (1791) | first decision of the Supreme Court, strictly interpreting procedural filing requirements mandated by statute |
| Georgia v. Brailsford | 2 U.S. 402 (1792) | A State may sue in the Supreme Court to enjoin payment of a judgment on foreign debt until it can be ascertained to whom the money belongs |
| Hayburn's Case | 2 U.S. 409 (1792) | justiciability and separation of powers |
| Georgia v. Brailsford | 2 U.S. 415 (1793) | suits in which states may be a party; continuation of Georgia v. Brailsford (1792) |
| Chisholm v. Georgia | 2 U.S. 419 (1793) | first “major” case; federal jurisdiction over suits vs. states; state sovereign immunity; led to Eleventh Amendment |
| Georgia v. Brailsford | 3 U.S. 1 (1794) | first jury trial in the Supreme Court; conclusion of Georgia v. Brailsford (1792) |
| United States v. Todd | (1794) | Case regarding invalid pension of a Revolutionary War veteran.
The case was initially unpublished, a note paraphrasing the case was appended to the opinion in United States v. Ferreira, 54 U.S. 40, 52 (1849). A transcript of the records of the case is published in Washington and Lee Law Review. |
| Rutledge Court | |
|---|---|
| August 12, 1795 – December 28, 1795 (138 days) | |
| Seat | Old City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| No.ofpositions | 6 |
| Rutledge Court decisions | |
| | |
| Case name | Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice John Rutledge, August 12, 1795 | ||
| United States v. Peters | 3 U.S. 121 (1795) | Federal district court has no authority over a foreign privateer when the captured ship was not within its jurisdiction. |
| Talbot v. Janson | 3 U.S. 133 (1795) | United States citizens did not waive all claims to U.S. citizenship by either renouncing citizenship of an individual state or by becoming a citizen of another country. |
| Ellsworth Court | |
|---|---|
| March 8, 1796 – December 15, 1800 (4 years, 282 days) | |
| Seat | Old City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| No.ofpositions | 6 |
| Ellsworth Court decisions | |
| | |
| Case name | Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, March 8, 1796 | ||
| Hylton v. United States | 3 U.S. 171 (1796) | tax on carriages |
| Hollingsworth v. Virginia | 3 U.S. 378 (1798) | ratification of Eleventh Amendment, presidential approval is unnecessary for Constitutional amendment |
| Calder v. Bull | 3 U.S. 386 (1798) | ex post facto clause applies to criminal, not civil cases |
| New York v. Connecticut | 4 U.S. 1 (1799) | first original jurisdiction suit between two States |