In the case of The State of Pennsylvania v. The Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company, William Otterson and George Croft, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a bridge constructed by the defendants over the Ohio River violated an act passed by Congress in 1820 which prohibited any obstruction that would impede navigation on certain rivers. At issue was whether or not this particular bridge constituted such an obstruction. After considering evidence from both sides, including testimony from witnesses who had navigated under it as well as expert opinions about its construction, the court ultimately determined that while there were some minor obstructions caused by piers built into it for support purposes, they did not constitute a significant enough impediment to warrant declaring it illegal under federal law. As such, they ruled in favor of allowing its continued use without interference from state authorities.

In the dissenting opinion of this case, Justice Daniel argued that Congress had exclusive authority to regulate commerce between states and thus could not be interfered with by a state. He further argued that the bridge in question was an aid to navigation and therefore should be considered part of interstate commerce. Therefore, he concluded that Pennsylvania did not have jurisdiction over it as it was beyond its power to regulate or interfere with such matters. Furthermore, Justice Daniel noted that if Pennsylvania were allowed to exercise control over bridges crossing navigable rivers within its borders then other states would also attempt similar regulations which would lead to chaos and confusion among all parties involved in interstate trade. As such, he believed the Court should reject Pennsylvania's claim against Wheeling Bridge Company for building a bridge across the Ohio River without permission from either state government.