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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
United States v. Klein
Citation:
80 U.S. 128 (1871)Facts
During the Civil War, V.F. Wilson’s cotton was seized by Union forces under the Captured and Abandoned Property Act. Wilson had supported the Confederacy but later received a presidential pardon from President Lincoln. After Wilson’s death, Klein, as administrator of Wilson’s estate, filed a claim in the Court of Claims for the proceeds from the seized cotton. The Court of Claims ruled in Klein’s favor based on the presidential pardon as evidence of loyalty. While the case was on appeal, Congress passed a statute declaring that presidential pardons would be inadmissible as evidence in property claims and would actually be considered proof of disloyalty, requiring dismissal of such claims for lack of jurisdiction. The United States argued that this new law required dismissal of Klein’s claim.
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