In James Adams, Executor of Thomas Law, Deceased, and Henry May, Administrator of Edmund and Thomas Law v. Joseph E. Law by his Next Friend Mary Robinson the Supreme Court had to decide whether a deed made in 1825 was valid or not. The appellants argued that the deed was invalid because it did not include all the necessary elements for a valid conveyance under Virginia law at that time; however, they also claimed that even if it were found to be valid then they should still receive their share as heirs-at-law since no consideration had been given for the deed when it was executed. On appeal from a decision by an appellate court in Virginia which held that there was sufficient evidence to support finding validity of the deed but also ruled against them on their claim as heirs-at-law due to laches (delay),the Supreme Court affirmed this ruling stating that although there may have been some technical deficiencies with regards to formality requirements these could be overlooked due to long delay between execution of said instrument and filing suit seeking relief based upon alleged defects therein.

In the case of James Adams, Executor of Thomas Law, Deceased and Henry May, Administrator of Edmund and Thomas Law v. Joseph E. Law by his next friend Mary Robinson, the dissenting opinion was that a court should not be able to interfere with an executor’s decision on how to distribute assets from an estate unless there is clear evidence that it would cause harm or injustice. The majority opinion held that courts have jurisdiction over such matters as they are in the best interest of all parties involved; however, this dissent argued against judicial interference in these decisions due to lack of expertise and potential for bias when making determinations about what is fair or just. Furthermore, it was suggested that if any party felt wronged by an executor's decision then they could seek relief through other legal avenues rather than relying on a court ruling which may be based more upon personal preference than actual law or justice.