In the United States v. Jones case of 1903, the Supreme Court ruled on a matter involving federal jurisdiction over crimes committed in U.S. territories. The defendant, William Jones, was convicted for murder in Alaska and appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court arguing that he had been denied due process because Alaska did not have a fully functioning system of common law at the time of his trial. The court rejected this argument and upheld his conviction stating that Congress has full legislative authority over U.S territories under Article IV Section 3 Clause 2 (the Territory Clause) of the Constitution which allows it to establish courts and legal systems therein as needed without being bound by all protections provided by Article III or other parts of Constitution applicable only to states.

The dissenting opinion in the United States v. Jones case of 1903 was not available or recorded as part of the court's decision. Therefore, it cannot be summarized.