John S. Buckingham and Mark Buckingham appealed a decision by the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in their case against Nathaniel C. McLean, assignee in bankruptcy of John Mahard Jr. The appellants argued that they had purchased certain goods from Mahard prior to his insolvency and were entitled to retain them despite being listed as creditors on his bankruptcy schedule. The Supreme Court found that since there was no evidence presented at trial showing any fraud or collusion between the parties, it could not be determined whether or not an actual sale occurred before Mahard's insolvency; therefore, it affirmed the lower court’s ruling that all assets must be surrendered into McLean’s hands as assignee in bankruptcy so he may distribute them among all creditors according to law. This case serves as an important reminder for individuals dealing with bankrupt entities: transactions should always be conducted with caution and proper documentation should always accompany sales agreements involving such entities to ensure legal protection if needed later on down the line.

In the case of John S. Buckingham and Mark Buckingham v. Nathaniel C. McLean, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a debt owed by an insolvent debtor could be collected from his assignee in bankruptcy or if it should instead be paid out of any assets that remained after all other creditors had been satisfied. The majority opinion held that such debts were not collectible from the assignee in bankruptcy, but Justice Catron dissented on this point and argued that they should indeed be collectible as long as there were sufficient assets remaining for them to draw upon after all other creditors had been paid off first. He reasoned that since these debts arose prior to the assignment of bankruptcy, they should still remain valid even though they may have gone unpaid due to financial hardship on behalf of the original debtor; thus allowing them to seek payment through whatever means necessary so long as those funds are available following satisfaction of all other obligations associated with said bankruptcy proceedings.