Ableman v. Booth

Resulting in a major ruling in which the U.S. Supreme Court determined that state courts cannot issue orders that contradict or circumvent the holdings of federal courts, Ableman v. Booth, 62 U.S. 506 (1859) stands as a landmark case that determined the supremacy of federal law. Although Ableman dealt with the authority of the Fugitive Slave Act, its holding set a precedent that state courts must recognize the supremacy of the U.S. Supreme Court in determining cases arising pursuant to the U.S. Constitution and laws of the United States. The ...