This Supreme Court case involved Robert Oliver, the Bank of the United States, and the Union Bank of Maryland as appellants against James Alexander and seventy-seven other seamen from the ship Warren. The appellants were assignees of Smith and Buchanan, Hollins and M'Blair, as well as John S. Styles who was executor for George Styles. The dispute arose when a group of seamen sued to recover wages they had earned while working on board a vessel owned by Smith & Buchanan that had been seized by French authorities in 1809 during an armed conflict between France and England. The lower court found in favor of the appellees but this decision was appealed to the Supreme Court which reversed it due to lack sufficient evidence presented at trial regarding ownership rights over said vessel at time it was seized by foreign power.

In this case, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether seamen of a ship called the Warren were entitled to wages for their service. The appellants argued that they should not be paid because they had abandoned their posts and failed to perform their duties as required by law. However, the appellees contended that they had been wrongfully discharged from duty without cause or notice and thus deserved compensation for services rendered. The majority opinion held in favor of the appellees, finding that there was no evidence presented which showed any breach of contract on behalf of the seamen or abandonment of post; rather, it appeared that these individuals were simply dismissed without due process. Justice McLean dissented from this decision arguing instead that since there was an implied agreement between employer and employee regarding performance expectations, those who did not fulfill them could not expect payment regardless if proper notice was given or not.