Green v. Biddle
| Green v. Biddle | |
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| Decided February 17, 1823 | |
| Full case name | Green and Others v. Biddle |
| Citations | 21 U.S. 1 (more)
8 Wheat. 1, 5 L. Ed. 547
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| Holding | |
| Legislation by the state of Kentucky restricting the rights of titleholders to land in that state, but originally granted by the state of Virginia prior to Kentucky statehood, unconstitutionally violates Virginia's right to sovereignty. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Story, Washington |
| Dissent | Johnson |
| Laws applied | |
| Article Four of the United States Constitution | |
Green v. Biddle, 21 U.S. 1 (1823) is a 6-to-1 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the state of Virginia had properly entered into a compact with the United States federal government under Clause One of Article Four of the United States Constitution. This compact surrendered Virginia's claim to the area that eventually became the state of Kentucky, but imposed restrictions on Kentucky's ability to upset title to land sold or otherwise granted by the state of Virginia at the time of the compact. The Supreme Court held that legislation enacted by Kentucky that restricted these rights unconstitutionally infringed on Virginia's right to surrender the land in accordance with Article Four, Clause One.
During European colonization of the Americas, James I of England granted the Charter of 1606 to the newly established Virginia Company, asserting royal title to Native American-occupied land between the 34th and 45th latitudes and 100 miles (160 km) inland, and permitting the Virginia Company to establish colonies there. In 1609, James I redefined the Colony of Virginia's boundaries to extend the colonies northern and southern boundaries as well as asserting title to all land west to the Pacific Ocean. Conflicting land claims as well as claims that land grants extended to the Pacific Ocean proved highly contentious issues after the American Revolution. To help resolve the issue, in 1781 Virginia agreed to surrender to the United States federal government all title to its land claims west of the Ohio River.
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