Brig Caroline, William Broadfoot, Claimant v. The United States was a case heard by the Supreme Court in 1813. At issue was whether or not the US government had violated international law when it seized and destroyed a British vessel called Brig Caroline during the War of 1812. The court found that while there may have been some violations of international law committed by US forces, they were justified under certain circumstances due to their necessity for self-defense against an imminent threat posed by Britain at the time. Furthermore, since no compensation had been offered to Broadfoot for his losses as a result of this seizure and destruction, he could not be held liable for any damages caused thereby. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of The United States and dismissed Broadfoot's claim without prejudice.

In the case of Brig Caroline, William Broadfoot, Claimant v. The United States, Chief Justice Marshall delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the court should not have decided on this matter as it was an act of war and therefore outside its jurisdiction. He further stated that Congress had exclusive authority to decide such matters and any decision by the Court would be inappropriate interference with their powers. Furthermore, he noted that even if they did have jurisdiction over this issue then there were still questions about whether or not damages could be awarded for property taken during wartime activities. As such, Chief Justice Marshall concluded his dissent by stating that while he agreed with much of what had been said in favor of awarding compensation to Mr Broadfoot for his losses due to the seizure of his vessel; ultimately it was up to Congress alone to make a determination on this matter and thus no judgment should be made at present by the Supreme Court.