United States v. Young (1877)

United States v. Young, 94 U.S. 258 (1877), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States concerning the scope of federal court jurisdiction over crimes committed on land ceded to the United States. The central question was whether a federal court had jurisdiction to try a defendant for murder committed on land within a state's borders, but which had been ceded to the United States for the purpose of establishing a federal penitentiary.

The Supreme Court held that the federal court did have jurisdiction. The Court reasoned that when a state ceded land to the federal government with the consent of Congress, the jurisdiction of the federal government over that land became exclusive, unless the terms of the cession explicitly provided otherwise. The state's power to legislate over that territory ceased, and the federal government had the sole power to govern it. Therefore, the federal courts had jurisdiction over crimes committed within the ceded territory.

This case is significant because it clarified the division of jurisdictional authority between states and the federal government over land ceded for federal use. It established a principle that unless the act of cession contains express reservations, the jurisdiction of the United States becomes exclusive over land acquired within a state for federal purposes.