Trial of Gideon Henfield
United States Circuit Court for the Pennsylvania District, 1793
Reprinted in Wharton, State Trials 49 (1849)
Relevant factsFree
Henfield (defendant) was charged with seizing a French ship in violation of President Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars, but no American statute prohibited his alleged conduct, prompting the court to instruct the jury on other applicable bodies of law; Henfield was ultimately acquitted on the merits.
IssueFree
Whether, if a treaty between nations is not applicable to international conduct, courts may apply the law of nations.
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