The Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward was a landmark Supreme Court case that established the principle of corporate personhood in the United States. The dispute arose when New Hampshire passed legislation to convert Dartmouth College, a private college chartered by King George III in 1769, into a public university governed by an appointed board of trustees. The college's original trustees sued on behalf of the school and argued that its charter constituted a contract between them and the state government which could not be altered without their consent. In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Marshall, the court ruled unanimously in favor of Dartmouth College and held that corporations were entitled to protection under Article I Section 10 Clause 1 (the Contract Clause) as well as other provisions within the Constitution such as due process rights afforded to individuals under Amendment 5. This ruling set forth important legal precedent for future cases involving corporate entities' constitutional rights and protections against governmental interference or infringement upon those rights.

In The Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a state legislature had the power to alter a private college's charter without its consent. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote for the minority in this case, arguing that such an act would be unconstitutional and violate fundamental principles of contract law. He argued that when Dartmouth College accepted its original charter from King George III in 1769, it became a legally binding contract between two parties: the State of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College itself. As such, he reasoned that any attempt by New Hampshire to modify or revoke this agreement without consent from both sides would constitute an illegal breach of contract and thus be unconstitutional under Article I Section 10 Clause 1 which prohibits states from passing laws impairing contracts made between individuals or entities within their jurisdiction. Ultimately, Marshall concluded that while states may have some authority over corporations they create themselves (such as universities), they do not possess absolute control over those created by other governments (like Dartmouth).