Spratt. 4 Pet.. 393. 407. 7 L. Ed.. 171.) Therefore the Congress has no power to grant to a court of a State the judicial power to admit aliens to citizenship. and section 2165 and all other acts of Congress which by their terms bestowed this authority upon State courts are unconstitutional and void. In support of his second proposition he argues that a court of a State derives all of its powers from the political entity which creates it. that. while such a court may perform judicial functions permitted by national legislation in cases in which the general power to discharge these functions is granted or allowed to it by the legislation of the State which creates it. no new or additional authority can be conferred upon it by the laws of the nation. and none can be exercised by it unless it is granted by the State laws which create the court. and vest and define its jurisdiction. and. inasmuch as the legislation of the State of Missouri has never granted to any court of that State the power or the permission to naturalize aliens in accordance with the laws of the United States. none of the courts of that State may lawfully exercise this authority. To sustain this argument he cites the decisions of the Supreme Court to the effect that where jurisdiction may be conferred upon the national courts by Congress. and that jurisdiction is not made exclusive. the State courts may exercise it if by the Constitution and laws of their State they are competent to take it (Houston v. Moore. 5 Wheat.. 1. 27. 5 L.
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