United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Tennessee v. Sneed, 96 U.S. 69 (1877)

Tennessee v. Sneed

96 U.S. 69

Syllabus

1. The legislature of a state does not impair the obligation of a contract by enlarging, limiting, or altering the modes of proceeding for enforcing it, provided that the remedy be not withheld nor embarrassed with conditions and restrictions which seriously impair the value of the right.

2. The act of the Legislature of Tennessee providing that there shall be no other remedy in any case of the collection of revenue, or attempt to collect revenue illegally, or attempt to collect revenue in funds only receivable by a collector of taxes under the law, the same being other or different funds than such as the taxpayer may tender or claim the right to pay, than by paying the tax under protest, and within thirty days thereafter suing the collector to recover it, the judgment, if for the taxpayer, to be paid in preference to other claims on the treasury, does not leave a party with out an adequate remedy for asserting his right to pay his state taxes in certain bills, made receivable therefor under the charter granted to the Bank of Tennessee in the year 1838, but which bills the collector refused to accept.

Page 96 U. S. 70