The Supreme Court decision you are referring to is the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, decided in 1857. In this landmark ruling, the Court held that Dred Scott, an enslaved African American, could not sue for his freedom because he was not considered a citizen under the Constitution. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion, stating that people of African descent could not be American citizens and therefore had no legal standing to bring a case to court.
The decision was a significant and controversial moment in U.S. history, as it not only denied Scott his freedom but also further entrenched the institution of slavery and heightened tensions leading up to the Civil War. The ruling was eventually nullified by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which grants citizenship rights to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.