List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 28


This is a list of cases reported in volume 28 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1830.

Nominative reports

In 1874, the U.S. government created the United States Reports, and retroactively numbered older privately published case reports as part of the new series. As a result, cases appearing in volumes 1–90 of U.S. Reports have dual citation forms; one for the volume number of U.S. Reports, and one for the volume number of the reports named for the relevant reporter of decisions.

Richard Peters, Jr.

Starting with the 26th volume of U.S. Reports, the Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States was Richard Peters Jr. Peters was Reporter of Decisions from 1828 to 1843, covering volumes 26 through 41 of United States Reports which correspond to volumes 1 through 16 of his Peters's Reports. As such, the dual form of citation to, for example, Ex parte Watkins is 28 U.S. 193.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of 28 U.S. (3 Pet.)

The Supreme Court is established by Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which says: "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court...". The size of the Court is not specified; the Constitution leaves it to Congress to set the number of justices. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 Congress originally fixed the number of justices at six. Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices.
When the cases in 28 U.S. were decided, the Court comprised these seven justices:
PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
Tenure on Supreme Court
John MarshallChief JusticeVirginiaOliver Ellsworth


July 6, 1835
William JohnsonAssociate JusticeSouth CarolinaAlfred Moore


August 4, 1834
Gabriel DuvallAssociate JusticeMarylandSamuel Chase


January 12, 1835
Joseph StoryAssociate JusticeMassachusettsWilliam Cushing


September 10, 1845
Smith ThompsonAssociate JusticeNew YorkHenry Brockholst Livingston


December 18, 1843
John McLeanAssociate JusticeOhioRobert Trimble


April 4, 1861
Henry BaldwinAssociate JusticePennsylvaniaBushrod Washington


April 21, 1844

Citation style

Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 the federal court structure at the time comprised District Courts, which had general trial jurisdiction; Circuit Courts, which had mixed trial and appellate jurisdiction; and the United States Supreme Court, which had appellate jurisdiction over the federal District and Circuit courts—and for certain issues over state courts. The Supreme Court also had limited original jurisdiction. There were one or more federal District Courts and/or Circuit Courts in each state, territory, or other geographical region.
Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.
Case NamePage & yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinionDissenting opinionLower CourtDisposition
Keene v. MeadeThompsonnonenoneC.C.D.C.affirmed
United States v. BufordMcLeannonenoneC.C.D. Ky.affirmed
Gordon v. OgdenMarshallnonenoneC.C.D.E. La.dismissed
Thornton v. Bank of WashingtonStorynonenoneC.C.D.C.affirmed
Willison v. WatkinsBaldwinnoneJohnsonC.C.D.S.C.reversed
United States v. PrestonJohnsonnonenoneC.C.E.D. La.reversed
Second Bank of the United States v. SwanMarshallnonenonenot indicateddismissal denied
Bell v. CunninghamMarshallnonenoneC.C.D. Mass.affirmed
Magruder v. Union BankMarshallnonenoneC.C.D.C.reversed
Chinoweth v. Haskell's LesseeMarshallnonenoneW.D. Va.reversed
Inglis v. Sailor's Snug HarbourThompsonJohnsonStoryC.C.S.D.N.Y.certification
Ex parte WatkinsMarshallnonenoneC.C.D.C.habeas corpus denied
Boyce's Executors v. GrundyJohnsonnonenoneC.C.D.W. Tenn.affirmed
Patapsco Insurance Company v. CoulterJohnsonnonenoneC.C.D. Md.affirmed
Shanks v. DupontStorynoneJohnsonS.C. Ct. App.reversed
Wolf v. Usherper curiamnonenoneC.C.D.R.I.certification
M'Cluny v. SillimanMcLeannonenoneC.C.D. Ohioaffirmed
Jackson v. LamphireBaldwinnonenoneN.Y.affirmed
Harris v. DennieStorynonenoneMass.reversed
Canter v. American Insurance CompanyStorynonenoneC.C.D.S.C.affirmed
Stringer v. Archibald's LesseeMarshallnonenoneC.C.W.D. Va.affirmed
Finlay v. King's LesseeMarshallnoneJohnsonW.D. Va.affirmed
AnonymousMarshallnonenonenot indicatedjudgment denied
Fowle v. City of AlexandriaMarshallnonenoneC.C.D.C.affirmed
Clay v. SmithJohnsonnonenoneD. La.reversed
Parsons v. ArmorJohnsonnonenoneD. La.reversed
Bank of Kentucky v. WistarMarshallnonenoneC.C.D. Ky.judgment reformed
Parsons v. BreedloveStorynoneMcLeanE.D. La.affirmed
Farrar v. United StatesMarshallnonenonenot indicateddismissal denied
New Jersey v. New YorkMarshallnonenoneoriginalsubpoena granted
Smith v. Honeyper curiamnonenoneD. Mo.dismissed
M'Donald v. MagruderMarshallnonenoneC.C.D.C.reversed