Jurisdictional Limits of U.S. Courts
Two cases are reviewed, one old and one new, which demonstrate the jurisdictional reach and limits of the U.S. Courts. In 1864, the owners of the steam ship Golden Gate filed charges against a cargo salvage operation in an attempt to recover a portion of the $1.45 million dollars in cash that went to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Mexico. More recently, the federal criminal justice system took over the investigation and prosecution of Jarod Lee Loughner after he shot and wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and killed federal Judge John Roll and federal employee Gabriel Zimmerman. This essay reveals how U.S. courts help to define federal jurisdictions in criminal matters, both locally and internationally.