- This case had been the first time the Supreme Court ruled a state law unconstitutional.
- The case arose from a petition submitted by Robert Fletcher after his purchase of lands from John Peck, or the Yazoo Land Company, he had found out that the Yazoo Land Act, which had "approved" the selling of the lands, had been ratified in returns for bribes. This, in turn, means that neither Peck or Robert had an actual, legal claim to the land.
- Marshall decided that while the Yazoo Land Act was unconstitutional, they had no power to invalidate a contract even if it was illegally secured and thus the land's ownership were not to be changed.