This is better known by its nickname, the Chinese Exclusion Case, which says it all right there. Although the name suggests that it would be challenging the Chinese Exclusion Act itself, this was actually challenging the Scott Act, an addendum to the Chinese Exclusion Act. This would be sort of like the equivalent of the special features on a blu-ray as opposed to the main movie.

The Scott Act said that any Chinese laborers who left the United States couldn't return. If you recall, the actual Chinese Exclusion Act spends a lot of time on the exact methods legal Chinese laborers can come and go, so the Scott Act pretty much threw all that out, and was like, "Nope! You're gone. Not even if you call "safe."

Chae Chan Ping was a normal guy, a Chinese citizen and unskilled laborer, who lived in San Francisco. He went to visit China, and on the way back wasn't allowed in. Chae took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which is pretty cool if you ask us.

Unfortunately for him, he lost. The case therefore gave precedence to the idea that not only could the government legislate immigration, but it could also override provisions in treaties if it wanted to. This was new.