Colson et al. v. Lewis was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1817 that dealt with the issue of whether or not an individual could be held liable for damages caused by their slave's negligence. The plaintiffs, Colson and others, had sued Lewis for damages resulting from his slave's negligent actions which resulted in damage to their property. The court ruled that individuals were responsible for any damage done by their slaves regardless of whether they knew about it beforehand or not; this ruling established strict liability on owners of slaves and set a precedent regarding responsibility over one’s own property as well as other people’s property when under one’s control. This decision also served to reinforce the idea that slavery was legal at the time and would remain so until its eventual abolition after 1865 following the American Civil War.

In Colson et al. v. Lewis, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over a case involving citizens of different states and foreign countries. The majority opinion held that the state court did not have jurisdiction in this case because it involved parties from other states and foreign countries, which would require federal courts to hear such cases under Article III of the Constitution. However, Justice Johnson dissented from this decision on two grounds: firstly, he argued that there was no clear language in Article III prohibiting state courts from hearing such cases; secondly, he argued that if Congress wanted to limit or prohibit state courts' authority over these types of cases they should do so explicitly rather than relying on an implied prohibition based on constitutional interpretation. He concluded by stating his belief that allowing each party access to their own local tribunals is essential for justice and fairness in our legal system as well as providing more efficient resolution of disputes between citizens living far apart or those with conflicting interests due to citizenship status