The Continental was a Supreme Court case from 1871 that dealt with the issue of whether a state court had the authority to issue an injunction against a federal court. The case arose when the state of Pennsylvania sought to enjoin the federal court from enforcing a judgment against the Continental Insurance Company. The Supreme Court held that the state court did not have the authority to issue such an injunction. The Court reasoned that the federal court had exclusive jurisdiction over the case and that the state court could not interfere with the federal court's decision. Furthermore, the Court held that the state court's injunction was an unconstitutional interference with the federal court's jurisdiction. The Court also held that the state court's injunction was an unconstitutional interference with the federal court's power to enforce its judgments. The Court concluded that the state court's injunction was invalid and that the federal court's judgment should be enforced. This decision established the principle that state courts cannot interfere with the decisions of federal courts.

In the dissenting opinion of The Continental, Justice Field argued that Congress had no power to pass a law which would interfere with contracts between private parties. He believed that such interference was unconstitutional and violated the Fifth Amendment's protection against taking property without due process of law. Furthermore, he argued that if Congress could pass laws interfering with contracts between private parties then it could also interfere in other areas where it has no authority to do so. In his view, this would lead to an erosion of individual rights and liberties as well as undermine the separation of powers established by the Constitution. Finally, he noted that while some may argue for public policy reasons why Congress should be allowed to intervene in contractual relationships between individuals, such arguments were not sufficient justification for violating constitutional principles or undermining fundamental rights protected by the Constitution.