Applegate & Others v. Lexington & Carter County Mining Company & Others was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a mining company had the right to mine on land that was owned by the Applegate family. The Applegate family had purchased the land in question from the United States government in 1845, and the mining company had begun mining operations on the land in 1853. The Applegate family argued that the mining company had no right to mine on their land, as they had not obtained permission from the Applegate family. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the Applegate family, finding that the mining company had no right to mine on the Applegate family's land without their permission. The Court held that the Applegate family had a right to the exclusive possession of their land, and that the mining company had no right to mine on the land without the Applegate family's permission. The Court also held that the Applegate family was entitled to compensation for any damages caused by the mining company's operations.

In Applegate & Others v. Lexington & Carter County Mining Company & Others, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a Kentucky statute that allowed for an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court in certain cases was constitutional. The majority opinion held that it was not and struck down the law as unconstitutional. However, Justice Field dissented on this issue and argued that while he agreed with much of what had been said by his colleagues, he believed there were several points which should be considered before deciding against the constitutionality of this particular statute. He noted that under Article III Section 2 Clause 1 of the Constitution, Congress has power to make exceptions to appellate jurisdiction when necessary or proper; thus allowing states such as Kentucky some leeway in creating laws regarding appeals from judgments rendered by their courts. Furthermore, Justice Field argued that since no federal court had ever declared any similar state statutes unconstitutional prior to this case being decided upon then it would be wrong for them now to do so without further consideration given its potential implications across other states' laws where similar statutes may exist but have yet gone untested in court proceedings until now.