In Barron v. Baltimore a wharf owner John Barron sued the city of Baltimore for damages the construction of the city caused to his wharf. He claimed that under the fifth amendment which holds private property cannot be taken for public use, without just compensation. As the case began in local court, Barron asked for 20,000 in damages but the court ordered to pay Barron only 4,500. As the plaintiff was unhappy with the outcome he appealed the case to the Supreme Court. When the justices received the case, they questioned constitutionally if under what authority did the United States Supreme Court have jurisdiction to review this local matter that had already been decided by the state courts. The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution's
