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Proprietors of the Charles River Bridge v. the Proprietors of the Warren Bridge

Significance, Two Bridges In Boston, Taney's Defense Of "happiness And Well Being"



Appellant

The proprietors of the Charles River Bridge

Appellee

The proprietors of the Warren Bridge

Appellant's Claim

That it held an exclusive charter to operate a toll bridge, and the state of Massachusetts violated the Contract Clause of the Constitution by granting a charter to another bridge company.

Chief Lawyers for Appellant

Warren Dutton, Daniel Webster

Chief Lawyers for Appellee

Simon Greenleaf, John Davis

Justices for the Court

Henry Baldwin, Philip Pendleton Barbour, Roger Brooke Taney (writing for the Court), James Moore Wayne

Justices Dissenting

John McLean, Joseph Story, Smith Thomson (John Catron and John McKinley not yet appointed)

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

12 February 1837

Decision

Denied appellant's claim.

Related Cases

  • Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U.S. 87 (1810).
  • Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. 518 (1819).

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1833 to 1882