Aurora City v. West was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1868. The case involved a dispute between the City of Aurora, Illinois and the West family over the ownership of a piece of land. The West family had purchased the land from the city in 1851, but the city later attempted to reclaim the land, claiming that the sale was invalid. The West family argued that the sale was valid and that the city had no right to reclaim the land. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the West family, ruling that the sale was valid and that the city had no right to reclaim the land. The Court held that the city had failed to provide sufficient evidence that the sale was invalid, and that the West family had acted in good faith when they purchased the land. The Court also held that the city had failed to provide sufficient notice to the West family of their intent to reclaim the land. As a result, the Court ruled that the West family was the rightful owner of the land.

In Aurora City v. West, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a city ordinance that prohibited the sale of liquor within two miles of its limits was constitutional. The majority opinion held that it was not, as it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause by treating those who lived outside of two miles differently than those who lived inside them. Justice Field dissented from this ruling and argued that cities have broad powers to protect their citizens' health and safety through ordinances like this one, so long as they are reasonable in scope and do not conflict with state or federal laws. He further noted that while there may be some unequal treatment between residents living inside versus outside the two-mile limit, such differences were necessary for public order and could be justified under certain circumstances. Ultimately, he concluded that since no other law had been violated here, Aurora City should be allowed to enforce its ordinance without interference from the court system.