United States v. Temple is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1881. The case involved a dispute between the United States and the Temple family over the ownership of a tract of land in the state of Texas. The United States claimed that the land had been granted to them by the Republic of Texas in 1845, while the Temple family argued that they had purchased the land from the Republic of Texas in 1846. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the United States, ruling that the land had been granted to the United States by the Republic of Texas in 1845 and that the Temple family had no valid claim to the land. The Court held that the Republic of Texas had the right to grant the land to the United States, and that the Temple family had no legal right to purchase the land from the Republic of Texas. The Court also held that the United States had the right to take possession of the land without compensating the Temple family.

In United States v. Temple, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a defendant could be convicted of violating an act of Congress when he had been acquitted in state court for the same offense. The majority opinion held that double jeopardy did not apply because there were two separate sovereigns involved - the federal government and the state government - and thus, it was permissible to convict someone twice for one crime if both governments sought prosecution. Justice Field dissented from this ruling on several grounds. He argued that allowing dual prosecutions violated due process by punishing people twice for one offense; that it would lead to oppressive practices by prosecutors who could use multiple charges as leverage against defendants; and finally, that such a practice would undermine public confidence in justice systems since citizens may come to believe they are being unfairly targeted or punished more harshly than others under similar circumstances.