The Antonia Johanna was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1816. The case involved an American ship, the Antonia Johanna, which had been seized by French privateers during the Napoleonic Wars and sold to a Spanish subject. The owners of the vessel brought suit against Spain for damages caused by its seizure and sale. At issue before the court was whether or not Spain could be held liable for acts committed by its citizens while at war with another nation. In a unanimous decision, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that although it is true that nations are generally exempt from liability for acts done during wartime, this does not apply when those actions violate international law or treaties between two countries. As such, he ruled that Spain must pay damages to compensate for their citizen's illegal act of seizing and selling an American vessel without due process of law. This ruling established important precedent regarding state responsibility under international law and has since been cited in numerous other cases involving similar issues

In The Antonia Johanna, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a vessel's voyage from France to the United States with an intent to engage in commerce constituted “trade or navigation” under the terms of a treaty between France and America. Justice Johnson wrote a dissenting opinion arguing that such voyages did not constitute trade or navigation because they were not for commercial purposes. He argued that if Congress had intended for these types of voyages to be considered as part of international trade, it would have included them in its definition when drafting the treaty. Furthermore, he noted that this interpretation was consistent with other treaties between nations which excluded similar non-commercial trips from their definitions of "trade" and "navigation". Ultimately, Justice Johnson concluded that allowing vessels engaged in non-commercial activities into American ports could lead to negative consequences such as increased smuggling and illegal immigration.