Myers v. Croft was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a state court had the authority to issue a writ of habeas corpus to a federal officer. The case arose when a federal officer, William Myers, was arrested by a state court in California for failing to pay a debt. Myers argued that the state court did not have the authority to issue a writ of habeas corpus because he was a federal officer. The Supreme Court agreed with Myers, ruling that the state court did not have the authority to issue a writ of habeas corpus to a federal officer. The Court held that the power to issue writs of habeas corpus was exclusively vested in the federal government, and that the state court had no authority to issue such a writ. The Court also held that the state court had no authority to interfere with the federal officer's duties. This case established the principle that the federal government has exclusive authority to issue writs of habeas corpus to federal officers.

In Myers v. Croft, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over an action brought by a non-resident against another non-resident in which both parties were citizens of different states. The majority opinion held that such an action could not be maintained in the courts of one state against citizens of other states, and thus dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision on two grounds: firstly, he argued that it would be unjust to deny individuals access to justice simply because they are residents or citizens of different states; secondly, he noted that there is no constitutional provision explicitly prohibiting such actions between persons who are not inhabitants or residents within any particular state. He concluded his dissent with a call for Congress to pass legislation clarifying when federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving out-of-state parties so as to ensure equal protection under law regardless of where people live or their citizenship status.