In County of Schuyler v. Thomas, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a county could be held liable for damages caused by a defective bridge. The plaintiff, Thomas, was injured when his horse and wagon fell through a bridge that had been built by the county. The county argued that it was not liable for the damages because it had not been negligent in constructing the bridge. The Supreme Court held that the county was liable for the damages caused by the defective bridge. The Court reasoned that the county had a duty to maintain the bridge in a safe condition and that it had breached this duty by failing to inspect the bridge and repair any defects. The Court also noted that the county had received public funds to build the bridge and that it was responsible for ensuring that the bridge was safe for public use. The Court concluded that the county was liable for the damages caused by the defective bridge and ordered the county to pay Thomas for his injuries. This case established that a county can be held liable for damages caused by a defective bridge that it has built or maintained.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in County of Schuyler v. Thomas, arguing that the majority's decision was inconsistent with prior Supreme Court decisions and failed to consider relevant facts. He argued that a state statute which allowed counties to issue bonds for public works projects did not create an obligation on behalf of taxpayers who were not parties to the contract between the county and bondholders. The majority had held that such statutes created a binding legal obligation on all taxpayers within a given jurisdiction, regardless of whether they had consented or even been aware of it at any point. Justice Field disagreed, noting that this interpretation would lead to absurd results where citizens could be bound by contracts without their knowledge or consent simply because they lived within certain boundaries. Furthermore, he noted that if states wished to bind its citizens in this way then it should do so explicitly rather than relying upon ambiguous language as was present here.