Hogg v. Ruffner was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that an individual's right to contract is protected by the Constitution and cannot be abridged by state laws. The dispute arose when Virginia passed a law prohibiting individuals from entering into contracts with slaves, as well as forbidding them from hiring out their own slaves without permission of the slave owner. This law was challenged on constitutional grounds, arguing that it violated an individual’s right to enter into contracts freely under Article I Section 10 of the Constitution. In its ruling, the Supreme Court held that this law did indeed violate an individual’s rights and struck down this portion of Virginia’s statute book accordingly. This decision established important precedent for future cases involving contractual freedom and helped ensure citizens' ability to make agreements free from government interference or regulation.

In Hogg v. Ruffner, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties that had been made in Virginia before it seceded from the Union and became part of the Confederate States of America could be enforced by a court in Ohio. The majority opinion held that since Virginia was no longer part of the United States at the time when enforcement proceedings were brought, there was no jurisdiction for an Ohio court to enforce such contracts. However, Justice Grier dissented on this point and argued that while he agreed with much of what his colleagues said about secession being illegal under federal law, he believed that state courts should still have authority over matters involving contracts entered into prior to secession. He further noted that if states are allowed to ignore their obligations under pre-secession contracts then chaos would ensue as other states may follow suit and refuse to honor their own contractual agreements as well. Ultimately, Justice Grier concluded by stating his belief that allowing state courts jurisdiction over these types of cases is necessary for maintaining order within our nation's legal system and upholding its citizens' rights regardless of which side they supported during times or war or civil unrest