List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 10

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This is a list of cases reported in volume 10 (6 Cranch) of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1810.

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 (these are called "nominative reports").

Starting with the 5th volume of U. S. Reports, the Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States was William Cranch. Cranch was Reporter of Decisions from 1801 to 1815, covering volumes 5 through 13 of United States Reports which correspond to volumes 1 through 9 of his Cranch's Reports. As such, the complete citation to, for example, Field v. Holland is 10 U. S. (6 Cranch) 8 (1810).

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 (one chief justice and five associate justices). Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices (always including one chief justice). When the cases in 10 U. S. (6 Cranch) were decided, the Court comprised these seven justices:

Portrait Justice Office Home State Succeeded Date confirmed by the Senate(Vote) Tenure on Supreme Court John Marshall Chief Justice Virginia Oliver Ellsworth January 27, 1801(Acclamation) February 4, 1801–July 6, 1835(Died) William Cushing Associate Justice Massachusetts original seat established September 26, 1789(Acclamation) February 2, 1790–September 13, 1810(Died) Samuel Chase Associate Justice Maryland John Blair, Jr. January 27, 1796(Acclamation) February 4, 1796–June 19, 1811(Died) Bushrod Washington Associate Justice Virginia James Wilson December 20, 1798(Acclamation) November 9, 1798(Recess Appointment)–November 26, 1829(Died) William Johnson Associate Justice South Carolina Alfred Moore March 24, 1804(Acclamation) May 7, 1804–August 4, 1834(Died) Henry Brockholst Livingston Associate Justice New York William Paterson December 17, 1806(Acclamation) January 20, 1807–March 18, 1823(Died) Thomas Todd Associate Justice Kentucky new seat March 2, 1807(Acclamation) March 3, 1807–February 7, 1826(Died)

In Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U. S. (6 Cranch) 87 (1810), for the first time the Court held a state law to be unconstitutional (in Marbury v. Madison, 5 U. S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803), the Supreme Court had for the first time held a federal law to be unconstitutional). The Court in Fletcher helped create a line of precedents supporting the sanctity of contracts, and hinted that Native Americans did not hold complete title to their own lands.

In Tyler v. Tuel, 10 U. S. (6 Cranch) 324 (1810), the Court held that an assignee of a geographically limited patent right could not bring an action in the assignee's own name. It was the first published Supreme Court decision on patent law. Like other Supreme Court patent cases prior to Evans v. Eaton, 16 U. S. (3 Wheat.) 454 (1818), however, it did not deal with substantive patent law, but only with the law of patent assignment.

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 (from the US District Courts) 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 (i. e., in which cases could be filed directly with the Supreme Court without first having been heard by a lower federal or state court). 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. "C. C. D." = United States Circuit Court for the District of . e. g.,"C. C. D. N. J." = United States Circuit Court for the District of New Jersey
"D." = United States District Court for the District of . e. g.,"D. Mass." = United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
"E." = Eastern; "M." = Middle; "N." = Northern; "S." = Southern; "W." = Western
e. g.,"C. C. S. D. N. Y." = United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York
e. g.,"M. D. Ala." = United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
"Ct. Cl." = United States Court of Claims
The abbreviation of a state's name alone indicates the highest appellate court in that state's judiciary at the time. e. g.,"Pa." = Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
e. g.,"Me." = Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Case Name Page and year Opinion of the Court Concurring opinion(s) Dissenting opinion(s) Lower court Disposition Scott v. Ben 3 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed Field v. Holland 8 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Ga. affirmed Maryland Insurance Company v. Woods 29 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Md. reversed Young v. Grundy 51 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Ky. dismissed Ex parte Wilson 52 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. habeas corpus denied Oneale v. Thornton 53 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed King v. Delaware Insurance Company 71 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Pa. affirmed Lewis v. Harwood 82 (1810) Livingston none none C. C. D. Va. reversed Riddle and Company v. Mandeville 86 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. certification Fletcher v. Peck 87 (1810) Marshall Johnson none C. C. D. Md. affirmed Massie v. Watts 148 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Ky. affirmed United States v. Hall 171 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Pa. affirmed Campbell v. Gordon 176 (1810) Washington none none C. C. D. Va. affirmed M'Knight v. Craig's Administrator 183 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed Kennedy v. Brent 187 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. affirmed Korn v. Mutual Assurance Society 192 (1810) Johnson none none C. C. D. C. affirmed Atkinson v. Mutual Assurance Society 202 (1810) Johnson none none not indicated reversed Stewart v. Anderson 203 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. affirmed The Ship Helen 203 (1810) per curiam none none not indicated affirmed Marine Insurance Company v. Hodgson 206 (1810) Livingston none none C. C. D. C. affirmed Slacum v. Pomery 221 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. certification Vasse v. Smith 226 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed Custiss v. Georgetown and Alexandria Turnpike Company 233 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed Lodge's Lessee v. Lee 237 (1810) per curiam none none not indicated affirmed Finley v. Lynn 238 (1810) Marshall Todd (in part) Todd (in part) C. C. D. C. reversed De Butts v. Bacon 252 (1810) per curiam none none C. C. D. C. affirmed Sheehy v. Mandeville 253 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. C. reversed Skillern's Executors v. May's Executors 267 (1810) per curiam none none C. C. D. Ky. remanded Chesapeake Insurance Company v. Stark 268 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Md. reversed Livingston v. Maryland Insurance Company 274 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Md. reversed Hudson v. Guestier 281 (1810) Livingston Todd Marshall C. C. D. Md. affirmed Smith v. Maryland ex rel. Caroll 286 (1810) Washington none none Md. affirmed Durousseau v. United States 307 (1810) Marshall Livingston, Johnson none D. Orleans reversed Tyler v. Tuel 324 (1810) per curiam none none C. C. D. Vt. arrest of judgment The Schooner Juliana 327 (1810) per curiam none none C. C. D. Md. reversed The Schooner Rachel 329 (1810) per curiam none none D. Orleans certification The Brigantine Amiable Lucy 330 (1810) per curiam none none D. Orleans reversed Sere v. Pitot 332 (1810) Marshall none none D. Orleans affirmed Maryland Insurance Company v. Ruden's Administrator 338 (1810) Marshall none none C. C. D. Md. affirmed