Supreme Court of the United States, 1819

The Court held that Congress constitutionally could incorporate the Bank of the United States because incorporation was an appropriate means of executing enumerated federal powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

The Court affirmed a judgment on a promissory note arising from the purchase of the plaintiff's interest in a cargo at sea. Although the written memorandum was signed only by the buyer, the trial court properly permitted the jury to determine whether the agreement had been actually executed by both parties, which…

Justice Duvall, dissenting, argues that the charter granted to Dartmouth College in 1769 constitutes a contract protected by the Contracts Clause and that the New Hampshire legislative acts altering the charter impair that contract and are therefore unconstitutional.