The St. John was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1871. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the St. John, a steamship, and the owners of the steamship's cargo. The cargo owners had sued the St. John's owners for damages caused by the ship's negligence. The St. John's owners argued that they were not liable for the damages because the ship was not seaworthy when the voyage began. The Supreme Court held that the St. John's owners were liable for the damages caused by the ship's negligence. The Court reasoned that the ship's owners had a duty to ensure that the ship was seaworthy before the voyage began, and that they had breached this duty by failing to do so. The Court also held that the ship's owners were liable for the damages even if the ship was not seaworthy when the voyage began, as long as the ship's owners had not taken reasonable steps to make the ship seaworthy. The St. John case established the principle that ship owners have a duty to ensure that their ships are seaworthy before they embark on a voyage. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still used today to determine the liability of ship owners for damages caused by their negligence.

In The St. John, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a vessel that had been seized by the United States government for violating customs laws could be sold without any further proceedings in court. Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion, arguing that such an action would violate due process of law and deprive individuals of their property rights without proper judicial review. He argued that it was not within Congress' power to authorize such sales as they were contrary to established principles of justice and equity which required all parties involved to have access to legal remedies before any sale could take place. Furthermore, he noted that if Congress did possess this authority then it should only be used when necessary and not simply because it is convenient or expedient for them do so. In conclusion, Justice Field asserted his belief that allowing vessels like The St John to be sold without judicial oversight violated fundamental constitutional protections against arbitrary deprivation of property rights and thus should not be allowed under U.S law