In the case of Booth v. State of Indiana, 1914, the U.S Supreme Court addressed a dispute over inheritance laws and their application to illegitimate children. The plaintiff, an illegitimate child named Booth, was denied his claim to inherit from his deceased father's estate based on an Indiana law that only allowed legitimate children to do so. He argued this law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by discriminating against him due to circumstances beyond his control (his birth out-of-wedlock). However, in its decision, the court upheld Indiana’s inheritance statute stating it did not violate any constitutional rights under equal protection grounds as states have broad power in determining how property is distributed after death and can make distinctions between different classes of individuals for such purposes.

In the dissenting opinion for Booth v. State of Indiana, it was argued that the defendant's constitutional rights were violated due to an unfair trial process. The justice believed that there was a lack of substantial evidence to support the conviction and raised concerns about potential bias in jury selection. They also questioned whether certain pieces of evidence should have been admitted into court proceedings, suggesting they may have unduly influenced the jury's decision-making process. Furthermore, they disagreed with how state law had been interpreted and applied in this case, arguing for a more stringent standard when determining guilt beyond reasonable doubt. This dissent emphasized upholding procedural fairness and protecting individual liberties as fundamental principles underpinning American jurisprudence.