During the Revolutionary War, the government of Georgia seized goods aboard a ship owned by South Carolina merchant Robert Farquhar when it sailed into the port of Savannah. Georgia needed the supplies to support its army and promised to pay Farquhar later.
Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress
Vue de la ville de Savannah, du camp, des tranchées et de l'attaque Octobre 1779, wash drawing by Pierre Ozanne, 1779
Congress Overrides the Supreme Court
Congress can counter Supreme Court rulings by proposing constitutional amendments. In Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), the court held that the Constitution permitted a lawsuit in federal court against a state by a citizen of another state. States with Revolutionary War debts did not want to be vulnerable to lawsuits from creditors. They protested, prompting Congress to pass a resolution to amend the Constitution to bar suits against states. The Eleventh Amendment was ratified by the states in 1795.
Congress has the power to propose constitutional amendments that limit the jurisdiction of federal courts. In 1795 Congress proposed the Eleventh Amendment in response to a Supreme Court ruling concerning lawsuits against states.
During the Revolutionary War, the government of Georgia seized goods aboard a ship owned by South Carolina merchant Robert Farquhar when it sailed into the port of Savannah. Georgia needed the supplies to support its army and promised to pay Farquhar later.
Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress
