Chisholm v. Georgia

Landmark case of 1793 in which the US Supreme Court ruled that states are not immune from suits brought by citizens of other states.

Alexander Chisholm, a South Carolinian, sued Georgia for payment on Georgia state bonds that were confiscated during the American Revolution. Georgia ignored the case, claiming it was not in federal jurisdiction, but the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia must appear in court to answer the charges. This decision frightened state governments as the number of similar suits grew across the nation. In response to fears about this economic danger to states' survival, the Eleventh Amendment, passed in 1798, reversed the Chisholm decision.