Groves v. Slaughter
Supreme Court
40 U.S. (15 Pet.) 449 (1841)
Relevant factsFree
Mississippi's state constitution prohibited bringing slaves into the state for sale, even though Mississippi was itself a slave state. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether that constitutional provision was enforceable on its own, without any legislature having passed a statute to carry it out.
IssueFree
Whether a state constitutional provision prohibiting the importation of slaves for sale is self-enforcing without an implementing act of the state legislature.