In the case of Chicot County Drainage District v. Baxter State Bank et al., 1939, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that a federal court's judgment is not subject to collateral attack once it has become final. The case involved a drainage district in Arkansas that had issued bonds which were later declared unconstitutional by the state’s supreme court. Despite this, a federal district court upheld their validity and dismissed an action brought against them. Years later, another suit was filed seeking to cancel these same bonds on grounds they were unconstitutionally issued - essentially challenging the earlier judgement of the federal court. However, citing principles of res judicata (a matter already judged), the U.S Supreme Court held that even if there was error in its previous decision upholding constitutionality of those bonds; such error could not be raised as defense in subsequent litigation involving those same issues or parties.

In the dissenting opinion for Chicot County Drainage District v. Baxter State Bank, Justice Black argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling - which declared bonds issued by the district as unconstitutional and therefore void - was incorrect. He contended that this decision violated principles of finality and repose in litigation because it allowed parties to challenge judgments long after they had been rendered. Furthermore, he believed that such an approach could potentially undermine public confidence in governmental bonds if their validity could be questioned years or even decades later. Thus, he disagreed with the majority's view on how constitutional law should apply retroactively to past cases.