The Schooner Catherine v. The United States was a case heard by the Supreme Court in 1812. It involved a dispute between the owners of an American vessel, the Schooner Catherine, and the United States government over whether or not it had been legally seized by US naval forces during wartime operations against Britain. The court ruled that while Congress had authorized such seizures under certain circumstances, this particular seizure did not meet those requirements and thus was illegal. As such, they ordered that damages be paid to the owners of the schooner for their losses as well as costs associated with bringing suit against them in federal court. This ruling established important legal precedent regarding how far military powers can go when seizing vessels at sea during times of war and conflict.

In Schooner Catherine v. The United States, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a vessel captured by the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812 could be considered an enemy ship and therefore subject to condemnation as a prize of war. Justice Story wrote in dissent that he believed it should not have been condemned because there was no proof that it had ever been used for hostile purposes or had any connection to France, which was at war with America at the time of capture. He argued that since there were no facts presented showing any such connection between France and this particular vessel, its seizure violated international law and thus should not be allowed under American law either. Furthermore, he noted that even if some evidence did exist connecting this particular ship to France's military efforts against America, then only those goods actually belonging to French citizens on board would be liable for confiscation; all other property would remain safe from seizure regardless of its origin or destination port due to principles established by prior cases involving neutral vessels seized during wartime conflicts between nations