In the Cameron v. United States case of 1892, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. government over a land dispute with James D. Cameron, who claimed ownership to certain lands in Arizona Territory under Spanish and Mexican grants. The court found that these claims were invalid as they had not been presented for confirmation before the Board of Land Commissioners by 1851 as required by law following Mexico's cession of territory to America after their war ended in 1848. Furthermore, it was determined that even if his claim had been validly made under Mexican law prior to this cession, he failed to provide sufficient evidence proving such ownership rights existed or were recognized by Mexico at any point during its sovereignty over Arizona Territory.

In the dissenting opinion for Cameron v. United States, Justice Brewer argued that the court majority had overstepped its bounds by deciding on a matter of fact rather than law. He contended that it was not within the purview of the Supreme Court to determine whether or not certain lands were valuable for mining purposes; this determination should have been left to a jury trial in lower courts. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's interpretation of Congressional intent regarding land grants and believed they had wrongly applied legal principles related to property rights and possession. In his view, Cameron's claim to ownership should have been upheld based on prior use and occupation under territorial laws before Arizona became a state.