''Knox v. Lee'', 79 U.S. (12 Wall.) 457 (1871), was an important case for its time in which the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

overruled ''

Hepburn v. Griswold ''Hepburn v. Griswold'', 75 U.S. (8 Wall.) 603 (1870), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Chief Justice of the United States, Salmon P. Chase, speaking for the Court, declared certain parts of the Legal Tender Acts to be uncons ...

''.. In ''Knox v. Lee'', the Court held that making

paper money A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

legal tender through the

Legal Tender Act Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in pa ...

did not conflict with

Article I of the United States Constitution Article One of the United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress. Under Article One, Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Sena ...

. Mrs. Lee was a loyal citizen of the United States whose flock of sheep was sold by the Confederate Army, as the Confederates considered Mrs. Lee an "alien enemy". Mr. Knox purchased the sheep from the Confederate army, and Mrs. Lee brought suit for

trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding ...

and

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

. The Court instructed the jury that whatever amount they awarded could be paid with legal tender notes of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Mr. Knox appealed, as he contended that this instruction was equivalent to telling the

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

to add a premium for the discount of paper currency relative to

specie Specie may refer to: * Coins or other metal money in mass circulation * Bullion coins * Hard money (policy) * Commodity money * Specie Circular, 1836 executive order by US President Andrew Jackson regarding hard money * Specie Payment Resumption Ac ...

. ''Parker v. Davis'' was resolved in the same decision, in which Davis wished to compel

specific performance Specific performance is an equitable remedy in the law of contract, whereby a court issues an order requiring a party to perform a specific act, such as to complete performance of the contract. It is typically available in the sale of land law, ...

requiring Parker to convey a lot to Davis in return for payment of money. The Court decreed that Davis should pay money into the Court, and Parker was to execute a deed to Davis. Davis paid United States notes, but Parker refused to execute a deed and claimed that he was entitled to receive coin.

References

External links

* 1871 in United States case law United States Constitution Article One case law United States Supreme Court cases United States Supreme Court cases of the Chase Court United States Supreme Court decisions that overrule a prior Supreme Court decision Banknotes of the United States {{SCOTUS-case-stub

See also

References

External links