James D. Wolf vs. George F. Usher was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1830 that dealt with the issue of whether or not an individual could be held liable for damages caused to another person's property due to negligence on their part. The plaintiff, James D. Wolf, argued that he should be able to recover damages from Usher because his negligence had resulted in damage being done to his property and thus constituted a tortious act under common law principles of liability for negligent acts causing harm or loss to others’ property rights. The court ultimately sided with Wolf and found Usher liable for the damage caused as it determined that there was sufficient evidence showing that he had acted negligently and therefore owed compensation for any losses suffered by Wolf as a result of this negligence.

In the case of James D. Wolf vs. George F. Usher, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over a contract dispute between two citizens of different states that occurred in another state where neither party resided or did business. The majority opinion held that such disputes should be heard by federal courts because they involve questions of national law and policy, while dissenting justices argued that it is within the power of each individual state to determine its own laws regarding contracts made within its borders and thus any dispute arising from such contracts should be decided by those same courts as well. They further argued that allowing federal courts to hear these cases would create an unnecessary burden on them since most contract disputes are local matters best handled at the state level with minimal interference from outside sources.