Dred Scott v. Sandford
In 1846, Scott sued for his freedom in court. Helped by abolitionist lawyers, he claimed that he was free because he had lived in free states for a long time. The defense claimed that Dr. Emerson was forced to move to the Wisconsin Territory because he served with the US Army and that he should be able to keep his property. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, decided that Scott was not free and so he did not have a right to sue. Furthermore, he stated that the US Congress could not make laws against slavery in United States territories. The majority opinion was agreed to by seven of the nine Justices.