The Sabine was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1879. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the steamship Sabine and the owners of the steamship St. Lawrence. The Sabine had been damaged by the St. Lawrence while the two ships were in port in New York. The owners of the Sabine sued the owners of the St. Lawrence for damages. The Supreme Court held that the owners of the Sabine were entitled to damages from the owners of the St. Lawrence. The Court found that the St. Lawrence had been negligent in its operation of the ship, and that the negligence had caused the damage to the Sabine. The Court also held that the owners of the Sabine were entitled to recover the cost of repairs to the ship, as well as the loss of profits that the Sabine had suffered due to the damage. The Court's decision in The Sabine established the principle that a shipowner is liable for damages caused by its negligence. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still an important part of maritime law today.

In The Sabine, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a vessel that had been seized by the United States government for violating neutrality laws could be sold to satisfy a judgment against its owners. Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in which he argued that under admiralty law, vessels were not subject to sale or seizure as part of civil proceedings and thus should not have been sold in this case. He further noted that Congress had never authorized such sales and therefore it would be unconstitutional for them to occur. In addition, Field argued that even if Congress did authorize such sales they would still violate due process rights since there was no notice given prior to seizing the vessel nor any opportunity for those affected by it to challenge its legality. Finally, he concluded his dissent by noting how allowing seizures like these without proper legal authority could lead to abuse of power from both governments and private individuals alike.