The Aiken v. Burnet case in 1930 revolved around the issue of estate taxation. The Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a widow's dower interest, which is her legal right to inherit some portion of her deceased husband's property, should be included in the gross estate for federal tax purposes. Mrs. Aiken argued that it should not be included because she had an existing vested interest before her husband’s death and thus it wasn't part of his "estate." However, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue disagreed and held that such interests were includable under applicable law at that time. In its decision, the Supreme Court sided with the Commissioner ruling that a widow's dower rights are indeed subject to federal estate taxes as they become perfected only upon death and hence form part of decedent’s gross estate. This landmark decision set precedent for how certain types of inherited property would be treated under U.S tax laws.

In the dissenting opinion for Aiken v. Burnet, it was argued that the majority's decision to deny a tax deduction for losses incurred by Mrs. Aiken in her husband's business after his death was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that Mrs. Aiken should be allowed to deduct these losses from her income taxes because she had assumed responsibility of her late husband’s business and its debts as part of his estate, which included potential profits as well as risks and liabilities associated with running the business. They contended that denying this deduction would unfairly penalize widows who take on their deceased husbands' businesses, potentially discouraging them from doing so in future cases.