The Schooner Good Catharine v. The United States was a case heard by the Supreme Court in 1813. It concerned a dispute between the owners of the schooner and the US government over whether or not they were liable for damages caused to their vessel when it ran aground on an uncharted shoal near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The court found that since there had been no negligence on behalf of either party, both parties should be held responsible for any losses incurred as a result of this incident. Furthermore, it ruled that if one party is at fault then they must bear all responsibility for any resulting damage or loss regardless of who owns what property involved in such an event. This ruling set precedent which has been used in many subsequent cases involving maritime law and liability issues ever since its initial decision was handed down nearly two centuries ago.

In The Schooner Good Catharine v. The United States, the Supreme Court was tasked with deciding whether a vessel captured by an American privateer during the War of 1812 could be considered a lawful prize or not. Justice Johnson wrote the dissenting opinion in which he argued that under international law, it would have been unlawful for any nation to capture vessels belonging to neutral powers and therefore this particular capture should not be allowed either. He further argued that even if there had been some evidence of contraband on board, it did not justify such a seizure as no proof had been presented that these goods were intended for use against America's enemies. Finally, he noted that while Congress may have authorized captures at sea during wartime, they must still comply with established principles of international law and justice; otherwise their actions will only bring about more conflict between nations instead of peace and stability.