National Bank v. Dayton was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a national bank could sue a state court in federal court. The case arose when the National Bank of Dayton, Ohio, sued the state court of Dayton in federal court for a judgment on a debt. The state court had refused to recognize the bank's claim, arguing that the bank was not a citizen of the state and therefore could not sue in state court. The Supreme Court held that the bank was a citizen of the state and could sue in federal court. The Court reasoned that the bank was a citizen of the state because it was created by an act of Congress and was subject to the laws of the state. The Court also held that the bank had the right to sue in federal court because it was a citizen of the state and the state court had refused to recognize its claim. The Court's decision in National Bank v. Dayton established that national banks have the right to sue state courts in federal court. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since then, and it has been used to support the idea that national banks have the same rights as other citizens when it comes to suing in federal court.

In National Bank v. Dayton, the Supreme Court was tasked with deciding whether a national bank could be held liable for interest on an overdue note when it had not been stipulated in the original contract between the parties. The majority opinion found that such liability did exist and that a national bank should be treated like any other creditor under similar circumstances. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that Congress had never intended to impose such liability upon national banks and thus they should not be subject to it. He further argued that if Congress wanted to create such obligations for these institutions then they would have done so explicitly in their legislation rather than leaving it up to judicial interpretation of existing laws. In conclusion, Justice Field believed there were no grounds for imposing additional liabilities on national banks beyond those already established by law or contract between them and their customers.