The Joseph, Sargeant, Master case was a Supreme Court decision that addressed the issue of maritime law and the rights of seamen. The case involved two ships owned by John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company: The Joseph and The Sargeant. In 1812, both vessels were captured by British forces during the War of 1812. After being released from captivity in England in 1814, they returned to New York with their crews intact but without any cargo or supplies on board. Upon arrival in New York Harbor, Captain William Masters filed suit against Astor for wages due to him and his crew members for their service aboard these two vessels while under enemy control. In its ruling on this matter, the Supreme Court held that although no contract existed between Masters and Astor prior to capture of these ships by British forces; nevertheless he was entitled to receive compensation as master mariner for services rendered during such time period because it is an implied part of every seafarer’s employment agreement that he will be paid if taken prisoner at sea or otherwise prevented from performing his duties due to circumstances beyond his control. This ruling established important legal precedent regarding maritime law which has been followed ever since then when determining whether sailors are entitled to payment even when not specifically contracted beforehand

In The Joseph, Sargeant, Master case, the Supreme Court issued a dissenting opinion. Justice Story argued that the court should have dismissed the appeal because it was not properly brought before them. He noted that there were no facts presented to support any of the claims made by either party and thus they could not make an informed decision on whether or not to grant relief. Furthermore, he stated that even if all of the facts had been presented correctly in this case, it would still be improper for them to interfere with a state court's judgment as long as those judgments are within their jurisdiction and do not violate any federal laws or constitutional provisions. Finally, Justice Story concluded his dissent by stating that Congress has exclusive authority over maritime matters and therefore it is up to Congress alone to decide how such cases should be handled going forward.