The key issue debated in the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was the scope of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. Specifically, the case involved a dispute over whether the state of New York could grant a monopoly to a particular steamboat operation (operated by Ogden) on waters that were also used by a steamboat operation licensed by the federal government (operated by Gibbons).
The Supreme Court, in a decision authored by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that the federal government had the authority to regulate interstate commerce, including navigation, and that states could not interfere with or regulate that commerce in a way that conflicts with federal law. This ruling significantly expanded the interpretation of the Commerce Clause and established a precedent for federal supremacy in regulating interstate commerce, limiting the states' rights to impose restrictions that could hinder that commerce.
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