United States v. Memphis was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether the United States government had the right to sue a municipality for damages. The case arose when the United States government sued the City of Memphis for damages caused by the city's negligence in maintaining a levee along the Mississippi River. The government argued that the levee had been negligently maintained, resulting in flooding and damage to the government's property. The Supreme Court held that the United States government did have the right to sue the City of Memphis for damages. The Court reasoned that the government had a right to sue the city because the government had a property interest in the levee, and the city had a duty to maintain the levee in a safe and secure manner. The Court also noted that the government had a right to sue the city because the government had a duty to protect its property from damage. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the United States government did have the right to sue the City of Memphis for damages caused by the city's negligence in maintaining the levee along the Mississippi River. The Court reasoned that the government had a property interest in the levee, and the city had a duty to maintain the levee in a safe and secure manner. The Court also noted that the government had a right to sue the city because the government had a duty to protect its property from damage.

In United States v. Memphis, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a city could be held liable for damages caused by flooding of its streets due to negligence in maintaining them. The majority opinion found that the City of Memphis had no liability because it did not have any control over the river or its banks and thus could not be responsible for any damage caused by flooding from those sources. Justice Field dissented, arguing that while cities may not have direct control over rivers and their banks, they do have an obligation to maintain their own streets so as to prevent unnecessary damage from occurring when floods occur. He argued that since Memphis failed in this duty - allowing debris and other obstructions on its streets which contributed significantly to the floodwaters' destructive force - it should bear some responsibility for resulting damages incurred by private citizens whose property was damaged or destroyed during these events.