This case begins in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, when plaintiff Arthur Bell alleges that on December 18, 1942, various federal and local law enforcement officials searched the homes of various members of the Mankind United cult—of which Bell was the leader—who were each indicted for violating 50 U.S. Code § 34, or use of mail for fraud.

[1] The district court, however, disagreed Bell's contention that his suit arose "under the Constitution or the laws of the United States", and ultimately dismissed it for want of federal jurisdiction.

[1] The court emphasized its sympathy with Bell's situation, saying that, "if the allegations have any foundation in truth, the plaintiffs' legal rights have been ruthlessly violated."

The Supreme Court granted certiorari, and held oral arguments on January 29, 1945, and handed down its decision on April 1, 1945.

The majority opinion, written by Justice Hugo Black, reversed the Ninth Circuit's decision, holding that,"Where [a] complaint seeks recovery squarely on the ground of violation of plaintiffs' rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, a federal district court has jurisdiction of a suit against agents of the Federal Government to recover damages...even though neither the Constitution nor the Congress has provided for the recovery of money damages for such violations and the complaint is so framed as possibly to state a common law action in tort or trespass.