    Ex Parte McCardle, 74 U.S. 506 (Wall.) (1868)

             Commentary by Jon Roland

It is uncertain whether the decision in this case was the result of politics 
or incompetence in the use of the English language, but it has set a 
damaging precedent that has not yet been overturned. To quote from the 
opinion:

     The Constitution of the United States ordains as follows:

          ' 1. The judicial power of the United States
          shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and
          in such inferior courts as the Congress may
          from time to time ordain and establish.'

          ' 2. The judicial power shall extend to all
          cases in law or equity arising under this
          Constitution, the laws of the United States,'
          &c.;

     And in these last cases the Constitution ordains that,

          'The Supreme Court shall have appellate
          jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with
          such exceptions, and under such
          regulations, as the Congress shall make.'

However, omitted from this last quote was the preceding sentence:

     In all cases [list of types of cases] the supreme Court
     shall have original jurisdiction.

The combination of the two sentences makes it clear that only two kinds of 
jurisdiction are being considered: original and appellate. The Constitution 
makes some types of cases original only, others appellate, but allows for 
exceptions to be made from the list of types of cases for which the Supreme 
Court has appellate jurisdiction. Since the alternative to appellate is 
original, the exceptions allowed must create original jurisdiction.

The opinion is, essentially, that Congress may remove all jurisdiction from 
the Supreme Court for some types of cases, but if that were the intended 
meaning, then it could remove all jurisdiction for all types of cases, 
thereby eliminating the judicial branch and defeating the separation of 
powers. A clear reading of the language is that no such meaning was 
intended. The intended meaning is that Congress may assign original 
jurisdiction to the Supreme Court for some types of cases over which it 
would otherwise have appellate jurisdiction only.

It should also be clear that any court which may decide its own jurisdiction 
without any higher court to which an appeal of that decision might be made 
has jurisdiction over any case it chooses to hear, and that power cannot be 
denied it by Congress, because it can always decide to overturn a statute 
restricting its jurisdiction.


