The Anna Maria was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1817. The case involved a dispute between two parties over ownership of a ship, with one party claiming that they had purchased the vessel from its original owner and the other party claiming that they were still legally entitled to it. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the first party, finding that their purchase was valid and binding under maritime law. In doing so, it established an important precedent for how disputes involving vessels should be handled going forward. This decision also provided clarity on issues such as when title passes upon sale or transfer of ships and what constitutes sufficient proof of ownership rights at sea.

In The Anna Maria, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a foreign vessel that had been captured by an American privateer during wartime could be lawfully condemned as a prize of war. Justice Story delivered the dissenting opinion, arguing that it would be unjust for such vessels to be subject to condemnation because they were not actually engaged in hostilities against America and thus did not fall within the scope of lawful captures under international law. He further argued that even if these vessels were considered enemy property, their owners should still have some recourse since they had done nothing wrong and there was no evidence suggesting any hostile intent on their part. Finally, he noted that allowing such condemnations would set a dangerous precedent whereby neutral nations could become targets of warfare without just cause or provocation.