The London Packet was a case heard before the US Supreme Court in 1820. The claimant, Merino, argued that he had been wrongfully deprived of his vessel and cargo by an act of Congress which authorized the President to seize vessels engaged in illegal trade with Spain during the War of 1812. He claimed that since his vessel was not actually engaged in such trade at the time it was seized, he should be compensated for its loss. The court held that although there may have been some irregularities or errors committed by government officials involved in seizing Merino's property, they were done without malice and did not rise to a level requiring compensation from either Congress or the Executive Branch. As such, no damages were awarded to Merino and his claim against them failed.

In The London Packet, Merino, the claimant argued that a ship he owned had been wrongfully seized by the United States. However, Chief Justice Marshall delivered an opinion for the majority of justices on the Supreme Court who found in favor of the United States. In his dissenting opinion, Justice Johnson disagreed with this ruling and argued that there was no evidence to support it. He believed that Merino should be compensated for his losses as a result of having his property taken without due process or just compensation under U.S law at the time. Furthermore, he noted that if Congress wanted to take away private property they must do so through legislation rather than relying on executive orders alone which is what happened in this case when President Madison issued an order authorizing seizure of British ships during wartime hostilities between Britain and America in 1812-1814 period leading up to The War Of 1812 . Therefore Johnson concluded that since there was no legal basis for taking away Merino's ship then any damages incurred should be paid out by government as per their obligation under 5th Amendment which guarantees citizens protection from deprivation of life liberty or property without due process or just compensation