Hodgson v. Dexter was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1803. The dispute arose from an agreement between two parties, Hodgson and Dexter, to purchase land together in Maine. When it came time for payment of the deed, Hodgson refused to pay his portion of the money due on the grounds that he had not received any benefit from purchasing said property with Dexter. The court ruled that although there was no express contract between them regarding their respective shares of payment or profits derived from owning this land jointly, they were still bound by law as joint tenants since they had agreed to buy it together and thus must share equally in both costs and benefits associated with ownership. Furthermore, even if one party did not receive any direct benefit from such an arrangement at present time - which was true for Hodgson - he could still be held liable for his part of expenses incurred during acquisition because future gains may arise out of this investment down the line; therefore making him legally responsible regardless whether those potential rewards materialize or not.

In Hodgson v. Dexter, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over a case involving citizens of different states. The majority opinion held that it did not have such authority and that Congress must pass legislation in order for this to occur. Justice Samuel Chase dissented from this ruling, arguing that the Constitution does not explicitly prohibit state courts from exercising jurisdiction in cases between citizens of different states; rather, he argued that it is up to each individual state's legislature to determine if they wish to exercise such power or not. He further noted that there were several examples throughout history where one state has exercised its judicial powers over another without any interference by Congress or other federal authorities. Therefore, he concluded, the decision should be left up to each individual state as opposed being decided on a national level by Congress or the Supreme Court itself.