In Pratt, and Others, Original Complainants v. Thomas Law and William Campbell, Original Defendants the Supreme Court of the United States heard a case involving two men who had been convicted in North Carolina for harboring runaway slaves. The complainants argued that their convictions violated Article IV Section 2 of the Constitution which states that “no person held to service or labor in one state under the laws thereof” shall be discharged from such service by escaping into another state. The defendants countered with an argument based on a 1794 Act of Congress which stated that any slave owner could reclaim his property if it was found within another state. Ultimately, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled against the defendants stating that while Congress has authority over interstate commerce they do not have authority to pass legislation concerning slavery as this is reserved for individual states alone. This ruling established precedent regarding federalism and limited congressional power when it comes to matters related to slavery or servitude within individual states.

In Pratt, and Others, Original Complainants v. Thomas Law and William Campbell, Original Defendants the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a deed of trust executed by two individuals in favor of another individual was valid. The majority opinion held that it was not valid because it did not meet the requirements for a deed of trust under Virginia law at the time. However, Justice Story dissented from this decision arguing that although there were some technical deficiencies with respect to how the deed had been drafted and executed, these issues should be overlooked given that all parties involved had acted in good faith when executing the document. He argued further that since all parties intended for their actions to create an enforceable contract between them then they should be allowed to do so despite any minor errors or omissions on their part.