The Supreme Court case of Baldwin v. State of Missouri, decided in 1930, is significant in legal history for its impact on the interpretation of jurisdictional issues in bankruptcy cases. At the heart of the case was the question of whether credits belonging to the bankrupt's estate, which were located in a different state, could be subject to the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court.
The Supreme Court ultimately held that they could not. The Court reasoned that the Bankruptcy Act of 1898 did not grant federal courts the authority to enforce liens on property located in another state. This decision helped to establish the principle that state boundaries have a limiting effect on the jurisdiction of federal courts, even in bankruptcy cases. As a result, the case has been cited in numerous subsequent decisions involving jurisdictional issues in bankruptcy cases, as well as in other areas of the law. Overall, Baldwin v. State of Missouri is an important case that highlights the complexities of jurisdictional issues in the legal system and the ongoing tension between federal and state authority.