Cohens v. Virginia

Cohens v. Virginia, 19 U.S. 264 (1821) was a United States Supreme Court decision most noted for the Marshall Court's assertion of its power to review state supreme court decisions in criminal law matters. The Court had previously asserted a similar jurisdiction over civil cases in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, 14 U.S. 304 (1816).

In this case, the Cohens were prosecuted successfully by the state of Virginia for illegally selling lottery tickets. The Supreme Court upheld their convictions.

See also

• List of United States Supreme Court cases

External links

• LII: full text of Cohens v. Virginia
• Full text of the decision courtesy of Findlaw.com