The Johnson case was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a state could impose a tax on a foreign corporation. The case was brought by the Johnson Manufacturing Company, a foreign corporation, against the state of Georgia. The company argued that the state's tax was unconstitutional because it violated the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the company, holding that the state's tax was unconstitutional because it interfered with interstate commerce. The Court reasoned that the tax was discriminatory and placed an undue burden on foreign corporations. The decision was a major victory for the protection of interstate commerce and the rights of foreign corporations. The Johnson case established the principle that states cannot impose taxes on foreign corporations that are discriminatory or place an undue burden on interstate commerce.

In the Johnson case, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state law that prohibited African Americans from carrying firearms in public violated their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The majority opinion held that the Second Amendment did not apply to individuals and only applied to states' rights. Justice Field wrote a dissenting opinion arguing that all citizens have an inherent right of self-defense, regardless of race or color, and this should be protected by the Constitution. He argued that if Congress had intended for some people's rights under the Second Amendment to be limited based on race or color, it would have been explicitly stated in its language. Furthermore, he noted how other constitutional amendments were written with explicit protections for African Americans which suggests they were meant to enjoy full protection under all parts of the Constitution including those related to bearing arms.