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Strawbridge v. Curtiss
Citations: 7 U.S. 267; 2 L. Ed. 435; 3 Cranch 267; 1806 U.S. LEXIS 331
Court: Supreme Court of the United States; February 13, 1806; Federal Supreme Court; Federal Appellate Court
An appeal was made to the U.S. Supreme Court from a decree of the Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts, which dismissed the complainants' bill in chancery due to lack of jurisdiction. The case involved complainants and defendants who were primarily citizens of Massachusetts, except for one defendant, Curtiss, who was a citizen of Vermont. The court addressed jurisdiction without oral argument, focusing on the statutory requirements for federal jurisdiction. The court concluded that jurisdiction could not be established under the relevant act of Congress, which stipulates that jurisdiction exists when an alien is a party or when there is a suit between a citizen of the state where the suit is brought and a citizen of another state. The court emphasized that all parties involved in a joint interest must be competent to sue or liable to be sued in federal courts. It refrained from opining on scenarios where multiple parties with distinct interests include some who are competent and others who are not. The decree of the lower court was affirmed.