Randall vs. Howard was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1862. The plaintiff, Randall, sued the defendant, Howard, for damages resulting from an alleged breach of contract between them. Randall claimed that he had agreed to sell certain goods to Howard and that he had delivered those goods but never received payment for them as promised by Howard. The court found in favor of Randall and held that there was indeed a valid contract between him and Howard which had been breached when payment was not made according to its terms. As such, they awarded damages to be paid by the defendant in order to compensate the plaintiff for his losses due to this breach of contract. This decision established important legal precedent regarding contracts and their enforcement under U.S law at the time

In Randall v. Howard, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over a case involving an alleged breach of contract between two parties from different states. The majority opinion held that the state court did not have jurisdiction in this case because it involved citizens of different states and therefore fell under federal authority. However, Justice Nelson dissented on the grounds that there was no evidence to support such a conclusion and argued that if Congress intended for federal courts to have exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving citizens of different states then they would have explicitly stated so in their legislation. He further noted that allowing state courts to hear these types of cases would be beneficial as it could help reduce costs associated with litigation by providing more options for litigants who may not be able or willing to travel long distances or pay additional fees associated with filing suit in federal court. Ultimately, he concluded that since Congress had not made any clear statement regarding which type of court should handle disputes between citizens from different states, then it should remain up to each individual state's discretion as they are best suited for determining what is most appropriate within their own borders.