New Jersey v. Yard is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1877. The case involved a dispute between the state of New Jersey and the owners of a steamboat, the Yard. The state of New Jersey had passed a law that required steamboats to pay a fee for the privilege of navigating the waters of the state. The owners of the Yard refused to pay the fee, arguing that the law was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the state of New Jersey, ruling that the law was constitutional. The Court held that the state had the power to regulate the navigation of its waters, and that the fee was a reasonable exercise of that power. The Court also held that the fee was not a tax, but rather a fee for the privilege of navigating the waters of the state. The decision in New Jersey v. Yard established the principle that states have the power to regulate the navigation of their waters, and that they can impose fees for the privilege of doing so. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still an important part of the law today.

In New Jersey v. Yard, the United States Supreme Court was tasked with deciding whether a state could impose taxes on goods imported from other states for sale within its own borders. The majority opinion held that such taxation was unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution because it interfered with interstate commerce and burdened out-of-state businesses. Justice Field dissented, arguing that while Congress had exclusive power to regulate foreign and interstate trade, this did not mean that states were prohibited from taxing those transactions in any way whatsoever. He argued further that since all imports are subject to some form of taxation by their origin state or country, there is no reason why they should be exempt when crossing into another state's jurisdiction. Furthermore, he noted that if each individual state were allowed to tax these items as they saw fit without interference from Congress or other states then it would encourage competition between them which would ultimately benefit consumers nationwide through lower prices and better quality goods due to increased competition among suppliers across different jurisdictions.