Sergeant's Lessee v. Biddle et al. was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1819 that dealt with the issue of whether or not an individual could be held liable for debts incurred prior to their purchase of land from another party. The plaintiff, Sergeant's Lessee, had purchased land from one William Sergeant but was then sued by creditors who claimed they were owed money by Sergeant and thus should have priority over any other claims on his property. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the plaintiff, holding that when someone purchases land from another person they are only responsible for debts incurred after their purchase and cannot be held liable for any debt accrued before it took place. This ruling established important precedent regarding liability related to real estate transactions which still stands today as a cornerstone of American law governing such matters.

In Sergeant's Lessee v. Biddle et al., the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a state court had jurisdiction to hear an appeal from a federal district court decision. The majority opinion held that it did not, as the Constitution only grants appellate authority to the Supreme Court in certain cases and this case did not fall into one of those categories. However, Justice Story dissented from this ruling on two grounds: firstly, he argued that Congress has broad powers under Article III of the Constitution to grant appellate jurisdiction over any matter they deem appropriate; secondly, he argued that even if Congress had no such power here, then Pennsylvania law should be respected and its courts allowed to exercise their own judgment regarding appeals within their borders. In conclusion, Justice Story believed that either way there was sufficient legal basis for allowing Pennsylvania courts to hear appeals in this case despite what his colleagues decided otherwise.