Fitzsimmons & Others v. Ogden & Others was a landmark Supreme Court case that established the supremacy of federal law over state laws in regards to interstate commerce. The dispute arose when New York passed a law granting Aaron Ogden exclusive rights to operate steamboats between New Jersey and New York, which violated an earlier congressional act allowing Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton exclusive navigation rights on all waters within the United States. The court ruled that Congress had authority under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause to regulate navigable waterways, even if they were located entirely within one state's boundaries. This ruling set an important precedent for future cases involving states' rights versus federal power, as it affirmed that Congress has broad powers over interstate commerce and can preempt conflicting state legislation in certain circumstances.

In Fitzsimmons & Others v. Ogden & Others, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a state court had jurisdiction to issue an injunction against a federal officer in order to prevent them from performing their duties under the authority of Congress. The majority opinion held that such action by the state court was unconstitutional and violated Article III of the Constitution which grants exclusive judicial power over cases arising under federal law to courts established by Congress. However, Justice Johnson dissented on this point, arguing that states have concurrent powers with respect to certain matters and should be allowed some degree of control over those matters as long as it does not interfere with or impede upon any laws passed by Congress. He argued further that since there is no express prohibition in either Article III or any other part of the Constitution preventing states from exercising such power, then they should be permitted do so unless expressly prohibited otherwise.