This Supreme Court case involved four appellants, Joseph C. Palmer, Charles W. Cook, Bethuel Phelps and Dexter R. Wright who were appealing a decision made by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1860. The appellants had been convicted of violating an act passed by Congress which prohibited any person from bringing slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States with intent to sell them as merchandise or dispose of them otherwise than is allowed by law. The Supreme Court affirmed that judgment and held that it was not necessary for proof to be given at trial that there was an actual sale or attempt to sell; rather it was sufficient if there was evidence showing an intention on behalf of those accused to bring slaves into a port with intent to violate this Act regardless whether such violation actually occurred or not.

In the case of Joseph C. Palmer, Charles W. Cook, Bethuel Phelps and Dexter R. Wright v The United States, the dissenting opinion argued that Congress had no authority to pass a law prohibiting citizens from trading with foreign nations in violation of an existing treaty between two countries without first obtaining consent from both parties involved in the treaty agreement. Furthermore, it was argued that such a law would be unconstitutional as it would violate Article I Section 10 Clause 1 which states that "No State shall enter into any Treaty". As such, this law should not have been passed by Congress and thus should be declared void for being unconstitutional and beyond their legislative powers granted by the Constitution.