In the United States v. Joseph Gardner, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a state court had jurisdiction to try an individual for a crime committed on board of a vessel in navigable waters. The defendant argued that since he was charged with piracy and robbery while aboard a ship, his case should be tried by federal courts as opposed to state courts. The Supreme Court disagreed and held that although Congress has exclusive authority over crimes committed on vessels in navigable waters, it does not have exclusive jurisdiction over all such cases; rather, states may exercise concurrent jurisdiction when appropriate. Furthermore, the Court noted that even if Congress did possess exclusive authority over such matters, it had not yet exercised its power or passed any laws specifically addressing this issue at hand. Ultimately then, because no law existed prohibiting states from exercising their own criminal jurisdictions within their respective boundaries - including those involving offenses occurring upon vessels - the Supreme Court found that the state court did indeed have proper jurisdiction to hear this particular case against Joseph Gardner

In the case of The United States v. Joseph Gardner, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state court had jurisdiction over an offense committed on board a vessel in navigable waters within its limits. Justice McLean delivered the dissenting opinion, arguing that Congress alone has authority to regulate vessels and their crews while they are navigating on public waters. He argued that it is not within the power of any state legislature or judiciary to interfere with this exclusive right granted by Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Furthermore, he stated that if states were allowed such jurisdiction then it would be difficult for them to exercise control over foreign vessels passing through their territorial boundaries and could lead to conflicts between different states' laws regarding navigation rights and duties imposed upon ships’ captains. Ultimately, Justice McLean concluded that only Congress can legislate matters concerning navigation on public waterways as per its constitutional powers granted by Article I Section 8 of the U.S Constitution