Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward on February 2, 1819. The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice John Marshall. At issue was the contract clause in article I, section 10, of the U.S. Constitution, which states: “No State shall . . . pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.” The question the Court considered was whether the actions of the New Hampshire legislature impaired, or interfered with, the charter of Dartmouth College.
The roots of Dartmouth College v. Woodward extended back before the American Revolution. In 1769, King George III of England had granted a charter to Dartmouth College and provided land for the college. But in 1816 the New Hampshire legislature tried, in effect, to convert Dartmouth into a public rather than private college by passing a bill that would reinstate the college’s president (who had been deposed...
