Opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, at January Term, 1832, Delivered by Mr. Chief Justice Marshall in the Case of Samuel A. Worcester, Plaintiff in Error, versus the State of Georgia With a Statement of the Case, Extracted from the Records of the Supreme Court of the United States

"Opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, at January Term, 1832, delivered by Mr. Chief Justice Marshall" is a legal document detailing a pivotal case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court during the early 19th century. This book falls under the category of legal publication and addresses the principles of jurisdiction and sovereignty concerning Native American tribes and state authority. The text is rooted in the historical context of the early American republic, particularly focusing on issues surrounding Cherokee autonomy and state encroachments. The case specifically revolves around Samuel A. Worcester, who was indicted by the State of Georgia for residing in the Cherokee Nation without a license. Worcester contended that his presence in the Cherokee territory, where he was serving as a missionary under U.S. authority, fell outside the jurisdiction of Georgia's laws due to treaties recognizing the Cherokee Nation's sovereignty. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Worcester, asserting that the laws enacted by Georgia violated federal treaties and were unconstitutional. This landmark decision affirmed the principle that Native American nations possess sovereignty and established the precedence for federal authority over state interference in Native American affairs. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

John Marshall was an American statesman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longest serving justice in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential justices ever to serve. Prior to joining the court, Marshall briefly served as both the U.S. secretary of state under President John Adams, and a representative, in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia, thereby making him one of the few Americans to have held a constitutional office in each of the three branches of the United States federal government.