Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851)

E251555

The Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851) is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that expanded federal admiralty jurisdiction to include the Great Lakes and other inland navigable waters.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court decision
judicial opinion
appliesTo collisions and maritime incidents on the Great Lakes
maritime contracts and torts on inland navigable waters
author Roger Brooke Taney
surface form: Roger B. Taney
branchOfGovernment judicial branch of the United States government
caseName Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851) self-linksurface differs
surface form: The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh
changedRuleFrom tide-based limitation on admiralty jurisdiction
changedRuleTo navigability-based test for admiralty jurisdiction
chiefJusticeAtTime Roger Brooke Taney
surface form: Roger B. Taney
citation 53 U.S. (12 How.) 443
citationStyle United States Reports
constitutionalBasis Article III of the United States Constitution
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1851
decisionType majority opinion
expandedTo Great Lakes
inland navigable waters of the United States
geographicalScope navigable waters within the territorial limits of the United States
historicalContext mid-19th century expansion of inland waterborne commerce in the United States
holding federal admiralty jurisdiction extends to navigable waters within the United States that are not subject to the ebb and flow of the tide
the constitutional grant of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction is not limited to tidewaters
impact broadened federal court jurisdiction over maritime cases on inland waters
established that navigability, not tides, determines admiralty jurisdiction in the United States
influencedBy growth of shipping and commerce on the Great Lakes
issue scope of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction in the United States
jurisdiction federal admiralty jurisdiction
language English
legalArea admiralty law
federal jurisdiction
legalSystem common law
overruledPrecedent The Thomas Jefferson (1825)
pageInUSReports 443
party Fitzhugh
The Genesee Chief
precedentFor later cases defining the scope of admiralty jurisdiction on inland waters
relatedBodyOfWater Great Lakes
relatedConcept federal courts
maritime commerce
navigable waters
reporterAbbreviation How.
significance considered a landmark decision in American admiralty law
rejected the English tidewater test for admiralty jurisdiction
subjectMatter collision between vessels on the Great Lakes
volumeInUSReports 53

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Samuel Nelson notableWork Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851)
Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851) caseName Opinion in The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh (1851) self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: The Genesee Chief v. Fitzhugh