Prize Cases
| Prize Cases | |
|---|---|
| Argued February 10, 1863 Decided March 10, 1863 | |
| Full case name | The Brig Amy Warwick; The Schooner Crenshaw; The Barque Hiawatha; The Schooner Brilliante. |
| Citations | 67 U.S. 635 (more) |
| Holding | |
| The President did have the authority to order a blockade and impound ships, even without a formal declaration of war. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Grier, joined by Wayne, Swayne, Miller, Davis |
| Dissent | Nelson, joined by Taney, Catron, Clifford |
| Laws applied | |
| Militia Acts of 1792 and 1795, Insurrection Act of 1807 | |
The Prize Cases, 67 U.S. (2 Black) 635 (1863), were a group of four cases United States Supreme Court cases that upheld President Abraham Lincoln's authority to blockade Southern ports during the American Civil War. The opinion in the case was written by Supreme Court Justice Robert Cooper Grier.