The Thomas Jefferson case brief summary

The Thomas Jefferson (1825)

•                      Justice Story passed up a chance to further expand American Admiralty Jurisdiction

•                      In England, the admiralty judges had never claimed jurisdiction upriver further than the ebb and flow of the tide

•                      Libel claims wages earned on a voyage on the Missouri River

•                      Issue: Is there admiralty/maritime jurisdiction?

•                      Admiralty jurisdiction is found in cases where the service was substantially performed, or to be performed, upon the sea, or upon waters within the ebb and flow of the tide

•                      This voyage was several hundred miles above the ebb and flow of the tide and therefore, the wages cannot be considered as earned in maritime employment