Supreme Court of the United States, Opinion in Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, March 20, 1816. Congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789 granted the Supreme Court power to review the decisions of state courts when federal questions were involved. Martin v. Hunter's Lessee Case Brief - Rule of Law: The United States Constitution (Constitution) and the laws of the United States made in pursuance thereof

Opinion for Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, 14 U.S. 304, 4 L. Ed. Facts: Fairfax, a British loyalist, owned land in Virginia. When Lord Fairfax died in England in 1781, he left his property in the State of Virginia to his nephew, Denny Martin of England. Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, (1816) 2. 304, 1816 U.S. LEXIS 333 — Brought to you by Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal information. Martin was the inheritor of the land from Fairfax. It was the first case to assert ultimate Supreme Court authority over state courts in civil matters of federal law

In the Peace Treaty of 1783, the United States agreed that those seizures would cease. 97, 1 Wheat. Martin v. Hunter's Lessee 14 U.S. 304 (1816) [During the Revolutionary War, officials in many states seized the property of British loyalists and claimed it as the states’ own. Virginia granted the land to Hunter.
304 (1816), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case decided on March 20, 1816. Martin claimed that the Peace Treaty of 1783 and the Jay Treaty of 1794 protected the land from seizure.

A Virginia state law provided for the seizure of Fairfax’s lands prior to 1783. Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, 14 U.S. (1 Wheat.) The case pertained to a land dispute in Virginia and was decided in March 1816. Justice Joseph Story’s opinion for the Court in Martin rejected the Virginia Court’s logic and presented a strong vision of federal power. March 20, 1816. Martin v. Hunter's Lessee established that the United States Supreme Court has jurisdiction and authority over state courts regarding federal issues. Martin v. Hunter's Lessee. 3. Background.