The Williams cases are part of a long line of Supreme Court decisions grappling with issues of divorce jurisdiction and full faith and credit in a federal system.

Williams and Lillie Hendrix, both residents of North Carolina, had traveled to Nevada, obtained divorces from their respective spouses, and then married each other.

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the convictions, holding that North Carolina must respect the divorce decrees if Nevada had jurisdiction.

Justice Rutledge argued that the decision effectively allows states to disregard the Full Faith and Credit Clause[6] and that domicile should be abandoned as a jurisdictional requirement for divorce.

"[9] Text of Williams v. North Carolina, 325 U.S. 226 (1945) is available from: Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress  This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.