In Colorado Coal and Iron Company v. United States, the Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of a federal statute that allowed the government to take possession of a coal mine in Colorado. The statute was passed in response to a labor dispute between the coal mine's owners and its workers. The owners argued that the statute violated the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause, which prohibits the government from taking private property for public use without just compensation. The Supreme Court held that the statute was constitutional. The Court reasoned that the statute was a valid exercise of Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce, and that the government's taking of the coal mine was necessary to protect the public welfare. The Court also held that the owners were not entitled to compensation because the taking was for a public purpose and not for the benefit of the owners. The Court concluded that the statute was a valid exercise of Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce and did not violate the Takings Clause.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Colorado Coal and Iron Company v. United States, arguing that Congress had exceeded its power under the Constitution by enacting a law which allowed for an appeal to be taken directly from a district court to the Supreme Court without first going through a circuit court of appeals. He argued that this was not within Congress' authority as it would allow them to bypass established judicial procedures and create their own system of justice. Furthermore, he noted that such action could lead to unequal treatment between different litigants depending on where they were located or what type of case they were bringing before the courts. Justice Field concluded his dissent by stating that if Congress wanted to change existing laws regarding appeals then it should do so through constitutional amendments rather than passing legislation which circumvented established legal processes.