Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
John Barron, a wharf owner, claimed that the City of Baltimore had effectively taken his property without compensation, violating the Fifth Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that the Bill of Rights restricted only the federal government, not the states.

3) Why It Mattered
This case clarified that protections in the Bill of Rights did not apply to state governments. It set the stage for the later doctrine of “incorporation” through the 14th Amendment after the Civil War.

4) What It Provided or Took Away

• Took Away: The ability to directly invoke the federal Bill of Rights against state governments (at that time).

5) Overreach or Proper Role?
This was judicial restraint: the Court stayed within the Constitution’s original text and left state constitutions responsible for protecting rights until the Constitution was amended.

6) Plain-English Impact Today
Your protections against state governments mostly come through the 14th Amendment, which later allowed the Supreme Court to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states.

• Bill of Rights
• Federal vs State
• Takings Clause