William Konig, an alien, brought a case against William Bayard, William Bayard Jr., Robert Bayard and Jacob Le Roy who were all citizens of the state of New York. Konig alleged that he had been wrongfully deprived of certain goods by the defendants. The Supreme Court held that aliens have no right to bring suit in federal court unless they are authorized by Congress or provided for in treaties between their country and the United States. As such, it was determined that Konig did not have standing to sue as his claim was not covered under any existing laws or treaties at the time. Therefore, his complaint was dismissed without prejudice due to lack of jurisdiction over him as an alien plaintiff.

In the case of William Konig v. William Bayard, et al., the dissenting opinion argued that a state court had no jurisdiction to hear a suit brought by an alien against citizens of another state. The majority opinion held that aliens have certain rights under common law and could bring suits in any court with proper jurisdiction over the parties involved. However, Justice Story dissented from this decision on two grounds: firstly, he argued that aliens are not entitled to all the same privileges as citizens; secondly, he contended that states cannot exercise judicial power beyond their own borders and thus lack authority to adjudicate disputes between foreign nationals and its own citizens. In conclusion, Justice Story believed it was inappropriate for New York courts to entertain such cases since they lacked both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction over non-residents like Konig who were not present within its boundaries at the time of filing suit.