Baker v. Morton was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1870. The case involved a dispute between two parties over the ownership of a piece of land in Indiana. The plaintiff, Baker, claimed that he had purchased the land from the federal government in 1845, while the defendant, Morton, claimed that he had purchased the land from the state of Indiana in 1848. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with Baker, ruling that the federal government had the right to sell the land in 1845 and that the state of Indiana had no right to sell the same land in 1848. The Court held that the federal government had exclusive jurisdiction over the land, and that the state of Indiana had no authority to sell it. The Court also held that Baker had a valid title to the land, and that Morton had no right to it. The decision in Baker v. Morton was significant because it established the principle of federal preemption, which holds that the federal government has the right to preempt state laws when it comes to matters of federal jurisdiction. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and it is still an important part of American law today.

In the case of Baker v. Morton, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a party could bring an action for damages against another party who had wrongfully taken possession of land that belonged to them. The majority opinion held that such an action was not available under existing law and thus dismissed the plaintiff's claim. However, in his dissenting opinion Justice Field argued that this decision would lead to injustice as it would leave individuals without any recourse when their property rights were violated by others. He further noted that there is no reason why a person should be denied relief simply because they cannot prove title or ownership of their land at common law; rather, he argued, courts should recognize equitable principles which allow parties to recover damages based on wrongful dispossession even if they do not have legal title or ownership over the disputed property.