Background/Facts:  Congress enacted legislation that enabled a lottery to be implemented in Washington, D.C.  The Cohen brothers sold D.C. lottery tickets outside of the D.C. area , and in the state of Virginia.  This violated state law, and as a result the brothers were tried and convicted by state authorities.  These authorities then declared that their judgements were final pertaining to disputes between the states and the national government.

Issues/Points of Law:  The Court had to decide whether they had the power under the Constitution to  review the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling, or whether the Virginia Court should be granted the final say in this case.

Decision and Rationale:  The Court unanimously held that they indeed had jurisdiction to review this case, and any other state criminal proceedings.  The Chief Justice of the  time, John Marshall, wrote that the Court was bound to hear all cases involving constitutional questions, and that this jurisdiction could not be affected by the particular identity of the parties in the cases.  He also argued that state laws and constitutions are "absolutely void" when conflicting with the U.S. Constitution or federal laws, setting a precedent that would not be overruled.  Once this jurisdiction was established, Marshall agreed that the Virginia court was justified in fining the Cohens brothers for violating the lottery ordinance, a local law.

Results and Subsequent Cases:  This case established the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over cases in which the State is a defendant.  In a great number of cases since then, a particular state has been in the position of defendant, and Court has maintained that jurisdiction.