Bronson v. Kimpton was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1869. The case involved a dispute between two parties over a contract for the sale of a steamboat. The plaintiff, Bronson, had contracted with the defendant, Kimpton, to purchase a steamboat for $2,000. Kimpton had agreed to deliver the boat to Bronson, but failed to do so. Bronson then sued Kimpton for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that Kimpton was liable for breach of contract. The Court reasoned that the contract was valid and enforceable, and that Kimpton had failed to fulfill his obligations under the contract. The Court also held that Bronson was entitled to damages for the breach of contract. The decision in Bronson v. Kimpton established that a contract is binding and enforceable, and that a party who breaches a contract is liable for damages. This case is still cited today as an example of the enforceability of contracts.

In Bronson v. Kimpton, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties could be enforced if it had been made in violation of a state law prohibiting such contracts. The majority opinion held that the contract was unenforceable because it violated public policy and thus should not be recognized by the court. In his dissenting opinion, Justice Field argued that while he agreed with the majority's conclusion on public policy grounds, he believed that there were other reasons why this particular contract should have been enforced despite its illegality under state law. He argued that since both parties had acted in good faith and relied upon each other’s promises when entering into their agreement, they should not suffer any penalty for doing so; instead, they ought to receive whatever benefit or detriment resulted from their bargain as originally intended. Furthermore, Field maintained that enforcing contracts which violate laws is sometimes necessary in order to prevent injustice and protect individuals' rights against oppressive government action or arbitrary interference with private agreements