We the People: The Supreme Court's first big decision on state powers

 In February 1793, in Chisholm v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court, fully mindful of the evolving political and legal tensions surrounding the nature of the nation-state relationship, rendered its first important decision on the scope of state authority.

 Chisholm, a citizen of South Carolina, sued the state of Georgia for failure to pay him for goods delivered to the state. In short, Chisholm was...