Prize Cases
E879781
The Prize Cases were a landmark 1863 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld President Abraham Lincoln’s authority to blockade Confederate ports without a formal declaration of war during the Civil War.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
ⓘ
landmark decision ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
admiralty law
ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ international law ⓘ |
| authorOfMajorityOpinion | Robert Cooper Grier NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| citation | 67 U.S. (2 Black) 635 ⓘ |
| concernsParty |
Confederate-aligned shipowners
ⓘ
Union (United States) government NERFINISHED ⓘ owners of ships and cargo seized by Union forces ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1863 ⓘ |
| decisionType | majority opinion with dissents ⓘ |
| didNotRecognize | Confederacy as a sovereign nation ⓘ |
| dissentingJustices |
John Catron
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Nathan Clifford NERFINISHED ⓘ Robert C. Grier (in part, on some issues if counted separately in some sources) NERFINISHED ⓘ Roger B. Taney NERFINISHED ⓘ Samuel Nelson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| era | Civil War era ⓘ |
| hasJurisdiction | United States federal law ⓘ |
| held |
President could order a blockade without a formal declaration of war
ⓘ
a state of civil war can exist without a congressional declaration ⓘ captures made under Lincoln’s blockade were lawful prize of war ⓘ |
| impact |
expanded understanding of presidential authority in undeclared wars
ⓘ
strengthened the legal basis for Lincoln’s wartime actions ⓘ |
| involvesConflict | American Civil War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| involvesPresident | Abraham Lincoln NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
blockade authority
ⓘ
international law of war ⓘ law of prize and capture ⓘ presidential war powers ⓘ separation of powers ⓘ |
| majorityBy | Justice Robert Cooper Grier NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precedentFor | later cases on executive war powers ⓘ |
| recognized | Confederacy as belligerent for purposes of international law ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Lincoln’s April 1861 blockade proclamations NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reporter |
Black’s Reports
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
U.S. (United States Reports) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
legality of Civil War naval blockades
ⓘ
status of insurrection and rebellion under U.S. law ⓘ |
| supportsDoctrine | broad presidential power in emergencies ⓘ |
| upheldAction |
Union naval blockade of Confederate ports
ⓘ
seizure of vessels running the blockade ⓘ |
| volumeInUnitedStatesReports | 67 ⓘ |
| voteSplit | 5–4 ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1863 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.