United States v. Hudson and Goodwin

A U.S. Supreme Court case decided by the Marshall Court in 1812, U.S. v. Hudson and Goodwin (11 U.S. 32) held that federal courts lack authority to adjudicate common law crimes. Prior to an inferior federal court rendering a criminal conviction, Congress must statutorily declare the activity to be criminal, assign penalties, and extend jurisdiction over the offense to the federal courts. The defendants in the case, Barzillai Hudson and George Goodwin, were charged with having libeled Congress and President Thomas Jefferson ...