The State of Pennsylvania brought a case against the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company, William Ottisan, and George Craft. The state argued that the bridge company had built a toll bridge over the Ohio River without obtaining permission from Congress or any other authority. This was in violation of an act passed by Congress which stated that no bridges could be constructed across navigable rivers without congressional approval. The defendants argued that they were not required to obtain such consent as their bridge did not impede navigation on the river. However, after reviewing evidence presented by both sides, including testimony from engineers who said there was potential for obstruction of navigation due to its height and width, it became clear that this structure violated federal law. As such, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Pennsylvania's complaint and ordered all parties involved to remove or alter their construction so as not to interfere with navigation on the Ohio River.

In the dissenting opinion of this case, Justice Daniel argued that Congress had exclusive authority to regulate commerce between states and thus the state of Pennsylvania did not have the power to impose a toll on vessels passing through its waters. He further contended that even if it were within Pennsylvania's right to do so, it was unconstitutional for them to charge different rates based on whether or not goods were being transported from one state into another. Furthermore, he noted that while there may be some inconvenience caused by allowing free passage over bridges and canals owned by private companies such as Wheeling & Belmont Bridge Company, these inconveniences are outweighed by the benefits derived from unrestricted interstate trade. Thus, Justice Daniel concluded that Congress should be allowed to determine how much compensation is due in order for those companies who own navigable waterways connecting two states together.