Armitz Brown v. The United States was a case heard by the Supreme Court in 1814. It involved an appeal from the Circuit Court of Pennsylvania, where Armitz Brown had been convicted of violating a federal law that prohibited citizens from trading with enemy nations during wartime without permission from Congress. In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Brown argued that he should not be held liable for breaking this law because it violated his constitutional rights as an American citizen and infringed upon state sovereignty. The court ultimately ruled against him, finding that Congress had acted within its authority when passing such legislation and thus could constitutionally regulate trade between states and foreign countries during times of war or peace. This decision established important precedent regarding congressional power over interstate commerce and set limits on how far individual states can go in regulating their own economic activities outside their borders.

Justice Johnson delivered the dissenting opinion in Armitz Brown v. The United States, arguing that Congress had exceeded its constitutional authority by passing a law which allowed for the seizure of property without due process of law. He argued that this was an infringement on individual rights and liberties protected under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which states "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." Justice Johnson further argued that it was not within Congress' power to pass laws infringing upon these fundamental rights and liberties granted by the Constitution. Furthermore, he noted that if such a practice were allowed then any other right could potentially be taken away from citizens at will as well. In conclusion, Justice Johnson believed that allowing for such seizures would set a dangerous precedent and should thus be declared unconstitutional.