<P> Dred Scott v. Sandford , 60 U.S. ( 19 How . ) 393 ( 1857 ) , also known as the Dred Scott case , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on US labor law and constitutional law . It held that `` a negro , whose ancestors were imported into ( the U.S. ) , and sold as slaves '' , whether enslaved or free , could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court , and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States . Dred Scott , an enslaved man of `` the negro African race '' who had been taken by his owners to free states and territories , attempted to sue for his freedom . In a 7 -- 2 decision written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney , the court denied Scott 's request . The decision was only the second time that the Supreme Court had ruled an Act of Congress to be unconstitutional . </P>
what was the dred scott v sandford case
held that `` a negro , whose ancestors were imported into ( the U.S. ) , and sold as slaves '' , whether enslaved or free , could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court , and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States