COUNTY Adams v. Crittenden County was a Supreme Court case that was decided in 2020. The case involved a dispute between a county in Arkansas and a local resident, Robert Adams, over the county’s decision to deny Adams’ request to build a home on a piece of land he owned. Adams argued that the county’s decision violated his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with Adams, ruling that the county’s decision was arbitrary and capricious and violated Adams’ constitutional rights. The Court held that the county’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence and that the county had failed to provide Adams with a meaningful opportunity to be heard. The Court also held that the county’s decision was not rationally related to any legitimate government interest. As a result, the Court reversed the lower court’s decision and remanded the case for further proceedings.

In the dissenting opinion of Adams v. Crittenden, Justice Field argued that the majority’s decision was based on a misinterpretation of the law and an incorrect application of precedent. He maintained that under existing laws, a married woman had no right to sue for damages in her own name because she was considered “one person with her husband” and thus could not be held liable for his debts or actions. Furthermore, he noted that even if she did have such rights as an individual citizen, they would still be limited by state statutes which prohibited women from suing without their husbands' consent. In conclusion, Justice Field concluded that since there were no applicable laws granting Mrs. Adams any legal standing to bring suit against Mr. Crittenden in this case, it should have been dismissed outright instead of being decided by the court on its merits as done by the majority opinion