The Binghamton Bridge was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court in 1865. The dispute centered around whether or not the state of New York had the right to construct and maintain a bridge over navigable waters without obtaining permission from Congress. The plaintiff, John Gebhard, argued that such construction would interfere with his rights as an owner of land on both sides of the river where it was proposed to build the bridge. He also claimed that he owned exclusive rights to navigate through this part of the river due to prior grants from New York State and Pennsylvania. On appeal, however, Chief Justice Salmon P Chase ruled in favor of New York State's authority under its police power doctrine which allows states broad powers for public health and safety purposes including building bridges across rivers when necessary for transportation needs. This ruling established precedent for future cases involving similar disputes between private property owners and state governments regarding infrastructure projects crossing navigable waters.

In The Binghamton Bridge case, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a bridge built by private individuals over navigable waters of New York State constituted an obstruction. The majority opinion held that it did not constitute an obstruction and therefore could remain in place. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision on the grounds that the bridge interfered with navigation and should be removed as it posed a danger to public safety. He argued that Congress had exclusive authority under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution to regulate commerce among states and thus any interference with interstate navigation must be regulated by Congress alone. Furthermore, he noted that while state legislatures may have some power over local matters such as bridges within their borders they cannot interfere with federal regulation of interstate commerce or obstruct navigable waterways without congressional approval. As such, Justice Field concluded that since no authorization had been granted for this particular bridge its construction constituted an illegal obstruction which should be removed immediately in order to protect public safety and uphold federal law governing interstate commerce.