In Sewall v. Jones, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties was valid. The contract in question was between a husband and wife, and it provided that the husband would pay the wife a certain sum of money each year for the rest of her life. The husband had failed to make the payments, and the wife sued him for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that the contract was valid and enforceable. The Court noted that the contract was not against public policy, and that the parties had the capacity to enter into a contract. The Court also noted that the contract was not unconscionable, and that the husband had the ability to pay the wife the money he had promised. The Court held that the husband was liable for breach of contract and ordered him to pay the wife the money he had promised. The Court also noted that the wife was entitled to interest on the money owed to her. This case established that contracts between spouses are valid and enforceable, and that a spouse who fails to fulfill their contractual obligations can be held liable for breach of contract.

In Sewall v. Jones, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over a case involving an alleged breach of contract between two citizens of different states. The majority opinion held that the state court did have jurisdiction and could hear the case. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that under Article III Section 2 of the Constitution, only federal courts can exercise judicial power in cases where parties are citizens of different states. He argued further that Congress has not given any authority to state courts to hear such cases and therefore they should be heard by federal courts instead. Field concluded his dissent by noting that if Congress wanted to give such authority it would need to pass legislation explicitly granting it; otherwise, only federal courts should have jurisdiction over these types of disputes between citizens from different states.